Ah! Archfall!
by jacoblee0463
Summary: Only Jago was present when the Arch fell to Earth. The one that was meant to die. And now he must protect her. Armed with a khukuri knife, old magic and with the help of a certain moody Valkyrie, he's got to keep her alive. He's strong but as Heaven and Hell burn, can he stand against an ancient evil, who has the help of a traitor? Or against himself? Part one of the Archangel Saga
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: My first and probably only ever fanfiction. Please be kind.**

**I do not own the AMG/OMG franchise or any of its characters. All rights to the original owner.**

**I should probably warn you, this story will not make a blind bit of sense unless you have at least seen the anime (or better yet, read the manga). In particular, you need to know the "Lind/Fighting Wings arch" as she features prominantly in later chapters. **

**All later chapters are about 2-3 times as long as this (10,000 words average). Please don't let this put you off.**

**Chapter 1**

**A Goddess and Mancunian Rain**

The spring sun shone down gently upon the Tarikihongan Temple, its rays bringing warmth to the ancient building. Keiichi sat quietly on the step, looking out at the garden as birds flitted through the boughs of the old plum-tree, its branches heavy with blossom. Belldandy's drifted through the air, softly singing as she hung out washing, lightening Keiichi's heart with its music.

"A perfect day" he thought to himself and then sighed, knowing the peace wouldn't last. It would only be so long before either Skuld or Urd started one of their incessant arguments and he knew it would probably end with him either being Skuld-bombed or struck by Urd's lightning bolts. Then again, those were the hazards that came with living with three goddesses for any length of time. Keiichi sighed again and leaned back, closing his eyes in thought. It had been nearly four years since Belldandy and the others had come into his life, shattering his peaceful life with all the force of a well-aimed brick. And he wouldn't have given it up for anything. Especially Belldandy. Since passing through the Judgement Gate, they had both grown closer and now, with little care left they were finally able to enjoy a relatively peaceful life together. Little did he expect that today would spark what would come to be known as "the Oldest Storm".

8888

Thousands of miles away, a man stepped out of his home into the rain, nodding briefly to old Alex, the security guard. England. Manchester. Rain. He smiled. The rain was a constant friend, especially in this city. Rain was good. It kept the bastards indoors. Just what you needed on a Saturday evening in a dangerous city and Manchester was about as bad as they came. Not that he felt fear. He was nineteen but looked nearer twenty-five. A student at Manchester Metropolitan. Six foot tall. Three hundred pounds. In his own words; built like a brick shit-house. Beneath the layer of fat that covered his hulking frame, were muscles that could lift a grown man with one hand, muscles toned more from hard work rather than from gyms. His well-worn clothes concealed his strength. Battered blue jeans with a worn leather belt. A faded green t-shirt with the words "You can go fast, I can go anywhere" embossed below picture of a Land rover. A second-hand leather jacket, black with white shoulders and sleeves, the word "Dwayne" printed across the right arm, just above the elbow. Only his boots were new. Size twelve. Sturdy. Strong enough to kick the shit out of the hardest Mancunian. Or to kick a hole through a brick wall. His hair was a mop of long, tightly curled brown locks, some six inches long and so tightly coiled that any comb that ventured near would be instantly without teeth. A short, wiry beard, the same colour as the hair on his head, covered his chin and upper lip. A hard man by anyone's standards. But it was his eyes that gave away his character. A deep brown-green with a sparkle of mischief. And the smile. It was a smile of both friendliness and warning. One that people knew that if it disappeared, they would live long enough to wonder why. It was the smile of someone who had seen the joke of life, realised that it was on him and had thought that this was funny. A man who would help those he could, when he could. A man who would gladly crush an enemy but who also knew how to forgive.

Old beyond his years. Sad and lonely but with a heart that cared. He scratched his head, smiling and stepped out into the dark and rain. It was going to be a long night and he needed a drink. He couldn't stand the other students. Obnoxious, noisy, messy and cruel, none of them understood the simple pleasures of life. Like the rain. The rain was a friend. So was the dark. It allowed this big man to move almost unseen and unheard through the city streets, with no hassle. Those that did see him sat alone and silent or left quickly, in search of easier prey. His smiled, his eyes seeing them all, weighing them all against his own strength, confident in his size and strength, against theirs. He grinned.

"Just try it" he thought. He knew he was tough. He wasn't hard but he didn't need to be. His aura spoke it. So those in the dark just stood and watched. He was untouchable to all in this city. Him and his wicked sense of humour, coupled with his rapier wit. Well, almost untouchable. Even this man needs heavenly help.

8888

A darkened room in another plane. Two figures sat across from each other, both shrouded in darkness. The only light seemed to come from nowhere an illuminated a small table between the two seated figures, on which sat bottle of wine and two half-filled glasses. One of the figures spoke, a man's voice, deep and gruff.

"The plan is ready then my Lady? The trap is set?"

"Yes, my Lord" the woman replied, "THEY will fall, HE will rise and our forces will move as soon as their defences are removed".

"What of the Jötunns? Will they honour our pact?"

"They have agreed to move as soon as our forces are in position, my Lord. Both the Niflgaurd and the Valkyries will be crushed with ease, once their power is drained. Even the mighty Lind will fall before the combined strength of our forces!" She paused and reached for her glass, taking a sip before continuing.

"However, there is a problem" she said.

"What problem, my Lady?" the man asked, reaching for his own glass, "What could any of them do against us now?"

"I have received some information from one of our spies in Heaven. One of your soldiers suspects something, one of your own Praetorian Guard in fact, a captain". She took another sip. "I fear that she may attempt to warn THEM about our plan".

"A traitor eh?" said the man with a grin. "Which is it? Höðr? Tyr? Weth?"

"The Arch my lord" the woman said, matching the man's grin with a smirk of her own. The man sat quietly for a second. Then he spoke, all traces of the grin gone.

"The Arch? What a pity. She would have been useful, especially against those pesky Norn's. No matter. She will be dealt with".

"How will you do it?" the woman asked.

"How do you think?" the man replied, shattering his glass in his hand.

8888

Back in Nekomi, Keiichi's prediction about the lack of peace had come true. Urd and Skuld had had another of their falling outs and were currently duking it out in a battle royal across the centre courtyard, Urd with her lightning bolts, Skuld with her latest Banpei combat upgrade. At the moment, it looked like the fight could go either way.

"Take this you big meanie!" shouted Urd as Banpei unleashed another salvo of rockets at Urd, "I'll teach you to break my new Banpei-EX2 rocket!" Urd calmly dodged and lined up for her own attack.

"That was punishment for filling my underwear draw with itching powder, you little brat! Now, I summon lightning!" She fired off the bolt only to have Banpei step in front of Skuld and extend a rod from the top of its head. The lightning struck the rod and was instantly redirected into the ground through the robots legs.

"Hah! My Banpei's new lightning rod attachment and extra-conductive-earthing-armour mean your lightning attacks are useless! Now take this!" Skuld yelled and another salvo of rockets shot towards Urd. Keiichi sighed and stood watching the two sisters as they alternately tried to blow each other into the next century, nursing his head from a Skuld bomb attack earlier that day.

"Why can't these two just get along?" he thought "It's not like there aren't better things that they could be doing with their powers. Ah well". It was then that something strange happened. The air began to crackle with energy and the ground began to glow, forming a circle roughly where the two sisters were fighting. The two broke off and quickly fled to where Keiichi was standing, at which point Belldandy emerged from the house, almost colliding with the three of them as she came running past. Close behind came Eir and Saga, the synchronised goddess twins who had recently taken up residence at the temple.

"What is it Bell?" asked Keiichi as a pillar of light erupted from the circle "Whats going on?"

"A goddess is descending, one I don't recognise" replied Belldandy.

"Whoever she is, she is incredibly powerful" said Saga.

"I agree" said Eir "She's stronger than Lind, that's for sure".

"What!?" Shouted Keiichi "Whoever this is, is stronger than Lind?!"

"That's right" said Belldandy, her faced turned upwards "In fact, someone with this much power must be-" and she gasped "It's an Arch!"

"An Arch!" cried Skuld.

"What the hell is that?" asked Keiichi, his face turning grey as a small descending speck in the pillar of light slowly began to grow until it resemble a person.

"An Arch is-" Belldandy began but was cut off as a dark shape suddenly appeared from nowhere and started to streak towards the descending goddess. Whatever it was, it was traveling fast and there was no time to react as it struck the goddess with incredible force. The circle and pillar instantly evaporated as did the dark shape and the goddess, although the loud sonic boom seemed to indicate the fate of the latter.

"What the hell was that!" shouted Keiichi as the portal disappeared, "and what happened to the goddess?"

"I- I'm not sure" came Belldandy's reply "I think what happened was that someone or something was determined to prevent her from reaching us and so she was attacked". Belldandy place her hand on her heart and said "I'm going to do a wide area scan to see if I can detect her. I need your help Holybell" and called forth her graceful angel. The pair began to glow and emit a soft hum as they began their scan.

"Well?" asked Urd after a few minutes.

"We found her" said Belldandy "She appears to have crashed several thousand miles from here, although we can't pinpoint her exact location. There's something else though".

"What? What is it?" said Urd.

"Her energy seems to be very weak. She must either be being jammed or-" and Belldandy gasped, tears trickling down her face.

"Or what?" asked Keiichi. Belldandy turned to him.

"She's dying!"

8888

Manchester. Rain. Dark.

"Perfect" the man thought as he quietly made his way home, a bottle of vodka and lime tucked securely within his jacket pocket. He took the back roads home, not wanting to be bothered by anyone. Not that he was worried. He just didn't want anyone he knew spotting him and shouting "Hey Wolf!" from across the street. Wolf. He had never understood how he had ended up with a nickname like that. He would have preferred something clever or at least a name that meant something, not some random, spur of the moment thing. Like his name. Jago. Cornish. Meaning "Holder of the Heel", or "Follower of God". A good name. He smiled. Could be worse though. He looked up, letting the rain slowly trickle down his face and sighed.

"So this is my life is it? Mum and siblings in a foreign country with an alphabet which looks like all the buttons you never press on a calculator. Dad god knows where. And me. The mad man with a good heart and a rough sense of humour. No mates, a university I can't stand and precious little chance of a job. Just me and a bottle of vodka". He smiled "And the rain, always the rain". He kept walking, not wanting to attract the attention of some tramp or crack-addict, looking to scrounge some coins to fuel their addictions. He looked up again and snorted, his usual short snuffle of amusement. "Could be worse I suppose. Everything is worse with wolves". He chuckled. "Huh, that's right, everything is worse with me!" It was then that it happened. There was no warning. No time to react. Just a loud whoosh and then an explosion of rock and debris, less than ten foot in front of him. The blast was strong enough that he was lifted from his feet and thrown six foot before slamming painfully into the floor.

"Ow" was all he could say, as he slowly pulled himself back to his feet. It was then he saw the crater. It was nearly six foot deep and the ten foot across. Whatever had caused it must have traveling at one hell of a speed. And it was then that the hand appeared. It was a woman's hand, rising out of the crater, followed by a groan. There was someone in their! Jago dashed over and lowered himself into the crater, his boots landing in the thick mud beside the woman and he stooped in order to get a better look. She was tall, almost as tall as he was but slim and dressed in the remains of a skin-tight leather suit, which resembled something he had seen in an anime or manga somewhere. Her face was partly obscured by her long, black hair but she seemed young, about his age and with something tattooed on her face. She then opened her eyes and looked at him, pain obvious on her face.

"Please" she said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "help me". It was then that he saw the wound. A long, deep gash that ran across her torso, from her left hip to her chest. Jago didn't waste any time. He stooped and lifted her easily and heaved her out of the crater. He then climbed out himself and stooped to examine the wound. It was bad, deep and gushing with blood, the edges blackened as if whatever had caused the gash had also burned her while it happened.

"Sweet Jesus!" he swore. "I need to get you to a doctor!" She pushed him off her and tried to stand.

"No! There's no time! I have to warn them!" she said but collapsed before she could get to her feet. He caught her and held her close.

"You can't move, you're too weak. You've lost too much blood! Just stay still and let me call a doctor".

"There's no time! I have to warn them about HIM! I have to warn them about Kronos!" she gasped, trying again to push him off her again, but this time much more feebly.

"You're not going anywhere! If you try to move, you will die!" She stopped struggling and smiled.

"You are wise for a human. But it's too late now, I'm beyond medicine." She smiled again and then groaned. "I am happy to see that there are still some who care for others on this surface world. I thank you" she said.

"Don't you dare die on me! I know your type, you're a goddess! More than that, you're a Valkyrie! You're as hard as nails and as tough as old boots!" She looked at him quizzically.

"How do you know this?"

"You've clearly never read your own manga" he said with a sad smile.

"In any case, I want to repay you" she said. "I have little power left and you have a tarnished heart but you tried to save me and I thank you for this. For this I shall grant you one wish. My first and last".

"Please don't" he said, a tear coming to his eye as he felt her strength wane. "Please, I want to save you. Don't waste your power on the likes of this old sinner".

"There isn't enough left of me to save. Even my soul is crippled. So take what I offer and my live with my thanks". He sat quietly for a second staring at her. He found her beautiful. Why did beauty have to die? Then it hit him.

"You have a crippled soul?" he asked.

"Yes" she replied.

"Then I know wish. As I cannot save you all. I wish that I could save and protect you soul!"

She smiled at this; a weak, tearful smile as her forehead flashed and a beam was sent to heaven. She looked back at him and pulled him closer.

"Your wish has been accepted" she said. Then she punched him in the stomach. He gasped and fell forwards, almost on top of her as something passed from her outstretched hand and entered his body. "Stay still" she said. "Feel her power. Let it grow. Let it fill you". She then removed her hand and leaned closer. "I thank you. Protect her. Love her. And beware the Longest Storm" she kissed him gently on the cheek and then leaned back. "Father, I'm coming home" was the last thing she said. Then she died. Quietly. Without a sound. He held her, devastated. A bear of a man, weeping in the rain and the dark, holding the body of a woman he barely knew. But it was not over. A soft light gently emanated from within her and she began to change. Her body slowly changed to many tiny flowers. Forget-me-nots. Blue forget-me-nots. And she gently blew away, leaving him alone in the dark and the rain, feeling sad and confused. And then a voice spoke to him.

"_Come Master. Let us go home_".

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Ten minutes later, Jago staggered through the door of the apartment block. He was out of breath, sweating and feeling faint. All since that voice. It had been quiet since then but he knew it was there. Alex, the old security guard looked up from his desk and peered over his glasses.

"Alright Jago mate? You look beat".

"Yeah, I'm alright" Jago replied with a tired smile. "Shattered but nothing new. See you tomorrow mate". He headed for the lift and took it to the third floor, then used his security key to make his way up to the fifth. As he stood unlocking his door, he glanced across at the communal kitchen where twenty drunken students were attempting to drink themselves to death while playing their stupid rave music.

"Hey Wolf, come on!" one of them shouted, waving to him.

"Get stuffed" he replied and pushed his door open, locking it behind him. The room was tiny. A six by ten foot box with barley enough room to move. A built in wardrobe and sink occupied one wall while to the left was a desk and a set of draws, the surface covered in pots, pans and paperwork. Above that was a notice board with a calendar, a few timetables, some coupons and a string of dried chilli's hanging from it. Next to that was an overstuffed bookcase, full of DVDs and books, on every subject imaginable: from fiction, to biology, to industrial archaeology. The rest of the room was occupied by a narrow bed, just big enough for one person, a bedside table which had been fashioned out of cardboard boxes and an easy chair which was buried under a mound of dirty clothes. Jacob staggered over to the bed and flopped down, kicking off his boots as he did so.

"Uh" he said with a sigh. "I'm cream-crackered". He pulled the bottle of vodka from his jacket, unscrewed the cap with his teeth and took a long pull at the harsh spirit. It was then that the voice spoke again.

"_Are you ok Master_?" it said. Jago groaned.

"Right" he said, "I have a voice in my head. I knew I had problems but this is taking the biscuit".

"_Am I a problem Master? And I haven't had any biscuits_" said the voice. It was a soft voice. Feminine. Very different from his own. It spoke with a warmth and concern that seemed to fill Jagos's tired bones with strength.

"Fair enough" he said. "Although I'm not sure if having voices in my head is such a good thing".

"_If you want Master, I could come out and speak to you_". He thought about this for a second.

"I don't know how you're going to do it but if you can get out voice, then that would be fine".

"_Very well Master, but please roll over first_". Jago did this, rolling on to his stomach and then felt a gentle tingling coming from his shoulders. When the tingling stopped, the voice spoke again. Only this time, it was outside his head.

"Hello Master" it said.

Jago turned over and sat up, almost banging his head on that of the being that now sat in front of him. He gave a yelp of surprise and retreated as far back up the bed as he could. For there before him sat an angel. She was tall and slim. Her long legs were hidden behind the cloth wrapping that was common to most angels. It was similarly bound around her ample bosom, while leaving her shoulders and midriff seductively exposed. Behind her, a pair of beautiful, pure white wings grew from her shoulders, although in the confines of such a small room, it was impossible to tell their true size. What struck him most though was her face. She was truly beautiful, in a way that the glossy shots of plastic skinned models from the magazines could only hope to be. Her lips held a small smile, as if she had just seen something she had thought was funny, but not enough to laugh about. Her hair was shoulder length and tightly coiled, like that of a new-born lamb but was jet black in colour. It was her eyes that held him though. They were bright and smiling, with a spark of mischief and a deep shade of turquoise, with amber flecks across each iris. Eyes so deep, Jago thought he would drown in them. She sat their quietly facing him, her hands clasped across her waist, her eyes staring at him with a near frightening intensity. For several minutes, they stared at one-another, taking each other in. At last she broke the silence.

"Master?" she said. Jago shook his head, as if to clear his mind.

"I was staring wasn't I" he said, with a guilty expression.

"Yes Master" she said, "but I understand. This is probably the first time you have met an angel".

"You got me there" he said, his trademark grin spreading across his face. "So where exactly did you come from then?" he asked. The angel unfolded her arms and pointed at his chest.

"I came from you Master. I am now your angel".


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: anything with a star and number next to it (e.g. *1) will have a note at the end of the chapter.**

**Chapter 2**

**Valkyries Descend**

Jago smiled and shook his head, not believing what he was hearing.

"I'm sorry, you're my what?"

"I am your angel. Angel First Class, Arch Category, Unlimited Licence, Combat Specialist" she said.

"Combat specialist? You're a Valkyrie?" She looked at his her head slightly to one side, obviously confused.

"Master, how do you know that? I thought you had never met a goddess or angel, never mind a Valkyrie before". He scratched his head and returned her look.

"Uh, it was an old anime series, or possibly a manga. About man who managed wish himself a goddess for life. Anyway, one of the characters was a Valkyrie, a particularly powerful one if I remember and I also remember that she had a licence that sounded similar to yours. Although I have to admit, I have never heard of an Arch before". He stopped, seeing how she still looked confused and tried a different tact. "Ok, let's put it this way: this may be new to me but I know a bit more about it than most would. Is that enough of an explanation?" Her face brightened and she smiled.

"Yes, I believe that that will suffice for now".

"Good" he said. "Now, would you answering a few of my questions?"

"Certainly Master"

"Ok" he said, "what is an Arch and why are you now my angel?"

8888

Belldandy had been unusually quiet following the incident. In fact they all were. Even Skuld and Urd seemed to have had the spunk knocked out of them. It was up to Keiichi to break the sullen silence.

"So, Bell" he said, trying to put on a cheerful face them, "what exactly is an Arch? Why have I never heard of them before?" Belldandy turned to him, a small frown upon her face.

"An Arch is a very rare type of goddess. Basically, it means that her angel is capable of supporting herself without any magical assistance from her host."

"What, how is that possible?" asked Keiichi.

"No one is quite sure. It's very rare, almost as rare as Lind's twin angels and because of how they operate it usually means that they are incredibly powerful as the angel can use different energy sources to fuel her magic, while the goddess has full access to her own."

"Different energy sources?" asked Keiichi. "You mean kind of like how I was able to use love as a source of power for Cool Mint and Wespe?"

"Something like that but not quite. Unlike a normal goddess whose angel is a part of her in every way, an Arch is almost a separate entity but must share a body with a host to survive. This usually means that a goddess and an Arch must imprint on each other before in order to combine their power. Once this has happened however, the two end up with a joint source of power far more formidable than even that of a First Class goddess!"

"Wow" said Keiichi, looking impressed. "So an Arch must be nearly unstoppable".

"Well not really" replied Belldandy. "While they are much stronger than most goddesses in a chosen field, once they have chosen a specialisation, it is impossible for them to develop in other fields".

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means" said Urd, "in order to prevent an Arch from becoming too powerful; there is a limit to what they can learn. For example, as a first category goddess, I am a computer whiz but if need be, I can either fight or grant wishes. Belldandy on the other hand is a goddess Second Category which means she is a wish granter by trade. However, as you know, she is more than capable in a fight and is also competent with computers. This Arch however is different. From what we were able to make out, she appeared to be a combat specialist, the Arch equivalent of a Third Category goddess: a Valkyrie. Normally this would mean she would be good in a fight, with fair skills in computers and wishes. However, in this case, what happens is she would have phenomenal combat skills but her knowledge of computers would be limited and she would have access to few spells, unless they were combat related".

"So…" Keiichi said, "she was strong but unable use most magic?"

"Pretty much" said Urd. "That was probably why she was beaten so easily. You see, when using the gate, goddesses are unable to scan for danger, although if they spot something coming, they should be able to defend themselves. We can only assume she didn't see whatever it was that attacked her and so didn't have time to erect a defence or counter-spell." She sighed. "Really, it's all academic now though, as nothing could have survived an attack like-". She stopped. Around Keiichi, the eyes of all five resident goddesses went wide.

"Something else is coming" whispered Belldandy.

"Another Arch?" asked Keiichi, a note of panic in his voice.

"No" said Belldandy, "a pair of Valkyries… and" she said, her facing breaking out in a smile, "they're friends!" With that they all raced outside to meet the new arrivals. Looking up, they could clearly see two distinct shapes descending from the gate high above and slowly touching down outside the temple.

"Goddess First Class, Special Category, Unlimited Lind and goddess, Second Class, Special Category (probationary), Limited Chrono arrive". Belldandy raced forward, beaming.

"Lind, Chrono, it's so good to see you!" she said, wrapping the pair in a huge hug. Lind looked rather taken aback for a second, as if not quite sure how to respond but then smiled and hugged Belldandy back.

"It's good to see you too Belldandy" she said and then stepped back, smiling at the others. "It's good to see you too Keiichi, Urd, Skuld". Then her face became serious once more. "Belldandy, I believe that you are aware of the situation?"

"Yes" she said, "we saw the whole thing. A combat Arch tried to descend to us but was attacked by some unknown force. We believe that she is currently located somewhere or the opposite side of the world, although we have lost contact with her". Tears entered Belldandy's eye. "We believe that she's dead".

"She's not!" shouted Chrono. "We're still picking up her energy traces!" She then stopped and blushed, looking up at Lind. "Sorry" she said. Lind smiled.

"That's ok; just remember who the senior Valkyrie is". She then turned back to Belldandy. "However, what Chrono said is true; we are still picking up faint energy pulses coming from an area approximately six-thousand miles from here, in an area known as Britain. However…" She paused. "There appears to be an anomaly. While we are detecting the presence of the Arch herself, her mistress appears to have vanished. At the same time, in roughly the same area, a goddess granted an unauthorised wish, which appears to have been accepted by Yggdrasil as a formal contract".

"What kind of wish?"

"The worst kind. I wish that I could save and protect you soul". Belldandy gasped.

"But that means-"

"Yes" said Lind, "a human now controls an Arch".

8888

From the plumb tree across the courtyard, the demon watched.

"Well, well" said Mara. "A human with the control over one of heavens most powerful soldiers. This could get interesting". She watched as the goddesses decided on their plan. Apparently, while Skuld, Keiichi, the twins and Chrono would stay and mind the temple while Belldandy, Urd and Lind would go in search of the Arch, as it seemed likely that it would take all three of them if they needed to seal it. Mara grinned.

"I better report this to Lady Hild at once. A corrupted Arch, even with a human host would be a valuable asset". She began her trademark evil laugh and slowly rose above the tree. Unfortunately, she had forgotten why it was that she had been hiding the first place. It wasn't until she looked down and actually saw Banpei that she realised her mistake.

"Oh no! Not again!" she screamed as the lucky charm rockets came flying in.

8888

"So let me get this straight" Jago said, "because of the wish I made to protect your mistresses soul, I have ended up with you living inside of me".

"Yes, that's right" the angel replied.

"You, a Valkyrie Archangel, living inside of my soul"

"Yes".

"You, a combat angel with unmatched physical power and some skill in with magic are now a part of me. Now and forever".

"Yes, Master".

"Oooooh dear" he said with a sigh. "This is gonna cause trouble". He looked at her still sat cross legged on the bed. He reached across and picked up the vodka bottle, pouring a measure into a shot glass on the desk and then knocked it back with a grunt of displeasure. Then he thought of something. "What kind of magic can you do? I know you said you don't have many spells but are there any you can show me?"

"There aren't many spells I can perform here due to their destructive power. But how about a universal fire spell?" she suggested.

"Go on then" he said, pouring another shot.

"Very well" she said and snapped her fingers. Instantly a small flame leapt from the tip of her thumb and stood steadily burning in the air above her hand. She then blew it out and looked back Jago. "Now you try master" she said with an impish grin.

"What?" he said, confused.

"Any spell that I perform whilst we are together automatically becomes available for you to use. It's one of the gifts of being an Arch. In this case, just think "FIRE" and then snap your fingers".

"Alright" he said, "I'll give anything a go once". He snapped his fingers of his left hand. Nothing happened.

"Try again Master". This time there was a small spark and this quickly swirled into a flame. It was as long as his thumb and a pale green in colour. From below, there was no heat but Jago could defiantly feel a slight decrease in his own energy as it was used to fuel the flame.

"Now that's pretty cool" he said. "How do I turn it off?"

"Just like a normal fire Master". Jago looked at the flame then licked the thumb and index finger of his other hand and pinched the fire out. He then looked back at the angel.

"Thank you for that" he said. "I think you deserve a reward for that".

"A reward Master?"

"Aye, a reward". Jago downed his second shot and poured a third but then pulled a second glass over and pored a half shot into it. He then passed the smaller shot to her and picked up his own. "I suggest you sip it, at least until we figure out how much you can handle" he said with a sly grin. She gingerly took the offered glass and sniffed it.

"It smells odd Master" she said and then took a sip. She coughed. "And it turns to fumes in the mouth" she said, wincing.

"Aye, that it does" he said, gulping his own shot. She watched him and then looked at her own glass before trying to gulp it herself, before breaking down into a series of coughing fits. He reached over and patted her roughly on the back, which seemed to ease to coughs.

"You alright?" he said, concern written all over his face. She managed to stop and gave a weak smile.

"I'm ok" she said.

"Went down the wrong way did it? Well, I did try to warn you" he said.

"Sorry Master".

"Whats there to be sorry about?" he said. "Like I said, you have to try everything once. You learn as you go, that's the way of things". Then he sat back. "Now, there's one last thing we need to sort out".

"Whats that master?"

"A name" he said. "I assume you have one?" The angel looked away.

"No Master".

"No?" he said, confused. "What about your previous Mistress? Didn't she give you one?"

"She did Master" the angel replied, "but all memories about the identity of my Mistress and her work, other than the fact she was a Valkyrie and a few spells she learnt before she had me were sealed so I can't access them. Even my name is kept from me. It's part of an Arch's imprinting process". She looked sadly at Jago. "If you don't provide me with a new name within twenty-four hours, I will automatically be assigned a number and our imprinting will never be complete".

"Ok" Jago said. "Whats imprinting by the way?"

"It means that the moment that my name is accepted by Yggdrasil, we will be officially combined. All of the memories and experiences that we have had up to that point will be shared between us. For you, it won't be much but for me-"

"You'll learn everything I have ever done, right?"

"That's right Master".

"Well, in that case I shall have to come up with something good. Preferably something with a meaning to it". He then lay back on the bed and sighed. "But first" he said, glancing at the clock, "it's about one in the morning and I need some kip". He looked up. "How do you sleep?"

"Usually Master, I sleep inside my host".

"And how do you do that?"

"Like this" the angel said and disappeared back inside of him. "_Goodnight Master_" she said.

"Goodnight then" he said, pulling a blanket over himself. "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite". He felt her smile and then shut his eyes and allowed the rigours of the day to overcome his mind and drifted off into sleep.

8888

About a mile away the rain still poured, filling the crater that had been left by the falling goddess. In the centre of the crater, a puddle had begun to form as the water-logged soil began to overflow. Suddenly a bright light appeared from it and slowly, Lind rose from the water until she stood within the crater. She glanced around, checking for threats and then, sensing none she pulled a small device from her pocket and laid it on the ground before climbing out of the hole. It looked like a phone but without any numbers, just a blank screen. This then flashed and Urd materialised next to it. She bent and quickly scooped it up, handing it back to Lind. She looked around.

"Bloody weather" she swore and conjured an umbrella before the rain could ruin her hair. She then looked around again. "Where's Belldandy?" she said, "She was supposed to meet us here". As if in response, the mirror of a nearby car flashed and Belldandy stepped out, wearing her low blue and white robe, rather than her usual dress.

"Sorry I'm late" she said. "I got a bit lost and ended up in Nigeria".

"Oh Bell" sighed Urd.

"Well, we're here now" said Lind, "I suggest we begin searching".

"But Lind" Belldandy said, looking concerned. "You're going to get all wet".

"I'll be fine" said Lind, "The important thing is that we find that human before he names the Arch or we will never be able to separate them".

"Ok" said Urd, "I suggest we split up and look for them. If one us finds them, we'll meet back here then go together".

"Agreed" said the other two and with that they all disappeared, each heading in a different direction.

High above, on the edge of a roof top, Hild sat watching, a bat wing umbrella keeping off the rain.

"My, my" she said, "They seem to be in a hurry". She felt a stirring deep inside of her, patted her stomach and smiled. "Now, now little one" she said, "You'll have a playmate soon enough".

8888

_The huge eye stared down, so vast that a hypernova would have been but the merest twinkle on its surface. It turned to face him, in a face, vast beyond all comprehension. A face that held such dark and terrible thoughts, along with such power. A face that was for now at least, trapped. And then it spoke in a voice that could shatter worlds and extinguish suns. Three words, repeated with the slow and steady pounding of a malignant glacier._

_"I am coming"._

"Master!".

_"I am coming"._

"Master!".

_"I am coming"_

**"Master!"**

8888

Jago woke with a start, the memory of that vast being still scored across his mind. He was sweating, shaking, out of breath. It was then that a cool hand was laid across his shoulder.

"Master, are you alright?" Then he remembered where he was. His room. Safe. He then looked across at his angel, her face a mask or fear and concern. He smiled weakly and then on impulse, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a tight bear-hug.

"Sorry" he said. "Nightmare". He held her for a moment longer but then saw her face was turning blue.

"Master! Please! Crushing!"

"Oops, sorry" he said and released her. She gasped for breath and sat down heavily on his box-table. It took her a few seconds to recover but she did and then smiled.

"It's ok Master. Anyway, what was this nightmare?" she asked. He scratched his head and looked sheepish.

"Nothing really, just some really big guy saying he was coming to visit".

"Oh" she said, looking relieved. "So you're ok then?"

"Yeah, I'm good" he said and then glanced at the clock on his desk. It read ten-to-six. He groaned. "Uh, I should get back to sleep" he said and started to tuck himself back into bed.

"Ok master. Should I go back inside?" Jago paused.

"No. In fact, come here" he said and moved the blanket aside, leaving a space for her, next to him. She looked at him doubtfully.

"Master?" He looked up at her.

"It's cold in here" he said, "and after a dream like that, I could use the company. Don't worry though, I promise to behave myself". She smiled at this and so, wanting to comfort her master, she climbed into bed beside him, her back pressed against his belly and with one of his arms draped across her protectively. It was then he spoke quietly.

"Thank you. I may have only known you a short while, but I love you. You are soft and warm, and cuddly and you have hair even more curly than mine". She smiled at this and even though he couldn't see it, he could fell her happiness slowly creep through him. "Not only that but while I was sleeping, I dreamt up a name for you". Her heart leapt at this and she rolled over to face him beaming like a lighthouse.

"Thank you Master!" she said.

"Aye" he said, sleepily, "it was your hair that gave me the idea. Soft, warm, dark and curly, like a new born lamb. And you are my lamb. And as such, I have decided; your name shall be Astrakhan Lamb".

8888

A flash of blinding blue light temporarily illuminated the cloudy sky over the city, before fading as quickly as it came. Lind looked on, knowing full well that the Arch had now been found. The other two rapidly arrived, skidding to a halt in front of the Valkyrie.

"Did you guys feel that?" said Urd, panting from her rapid dash.

"Not only did I feel it" said Lind, "but I saw it! She's over there!" She pointed at a tall block of flats. "Fifth floor, thirtieth room! Let's go!" The others didn't need telling twice. With three small flashes, they each disappeared into their respective mediums and vanished, heading towards the building.

"Please" prayed Belldandy. "Let us be in time!"

8888

The wave of energy emanating from the angel was enough to thump Jago back against the wall, with the force of a steam locomotive. He was certain he heard something crack. But right now, that was not important. What was important was the wave of emotions and memories that was streaming through his head. Fear, loss, desperation, sympathy, joy, love, hope. A barely remembered face. A feeling of great strength. A sense of phenomenal power. And then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone, leaving Jago breathless. The angel turned to him. And she smiled.

"I am Astrakhan Lamb. You are my Master and I am your angel". It was then that Jago realised what had happened. The two of them were now one. They may have different personalities and may feel different emotions but they were now a single being, united within one body.

"Oh, Lamb!" he said and they hugged each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces. But there tender moment was quickly shattered. With a flash of light, three women materialised in the room, each looking out of breath and exhausted.

"There's the Arch!" shouted the leader, the one dressed in white leather and with short blue hair. "We must seal her!"

"Like Hell you are!" Jago shouted. He leapt to his, grabbing something from the desk and pushing Lamb behind him. He flicked his wrist and a long sheath slid off the object he was holding, revealing a long khukuri knife. He then sank into a fighters pose, turned slightly to the left, left arm raised to block an attack and the right lowered, holding the khukuri, ready for a counter strike while still using his bulk to shield Lamb.

"You dare threaten a goddess, Second Class!" said the woman to the right. "I summon lightning!" she shouted and a bolt shot towards the waiting man. Then something odd happened. Jago stepped forward, catching the bolt on the end the tip of his khukuri and allowing it to pass up his arm and into his chest. At the same time, he swung his other arm back, until it touched the radiator located below the window. The bolt quickly passed through his chest and down his other arm, earthing itself in the radiator. To say that they were both surprised was would have been an understatement.

"Well" said Jago, blinking, "Never done anything like that before".

"Enough of this!" said the woman in white. "Urd, Belldandy, seal the Arch! I will deal with the human!" She summoned her poleaxe, seemingly out of thin air and then thrust it forward, the sharp top-spike aimed squarely for Jago's chest. The third woman, who up until now had been silent, then called out.

"Wait Lind, please stop!" she said but she was already too late. Lind felt the blade thump home with sickening force. But not where she had expected. Astrakhan Lamb had stepped in front of Jago and had caught the blade with her bare hands, before swinging it sideways and burying the poleaxe firmly in the wall.

"You leave my Master alone!" she growled through gritted teeth, her turquoise eyes flashing to full amber as she prepared to unleash a cataclysmically powerful spell. But it was then that she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder.

"It's alright Lamb" Jago said softly, "I can take her with one hand". At this, the three seemed to prick up a little.

"Lamb? You have already named her?" said the third one. Jago nodded cautiously.

"Astrakhan Lamb. Why, what's it too you?" he said. All three women looked disheartened.

"We have failed".

"Excuse me" said Jago. "But who are you and why are you trying to seal my girl?"

"I'm sorry" said the third woman, "I am the-"

"Hang on a second" Jago said. "Can I assume we're not going to do anymore fighting?" They nodded. "Good" he said and with a snarl, he drew the khukuri rapidly across his left forearm, letting out a tiny trickle of blood. All four women in the room gasped.

"Mater! Why did you do that?!"

"It's a mark of honour" he said. "So serious a matter is it for a khukuri to be drawn that it _must_ draw blood before it can be sheathed". He held out his left arm to her, revealing the small network of scars that covered it. "And as you can see, I take my honour very seriously". He turned back to the others. "Sorry, you were saying?" he said and sheathed his blade. The third woman shook herself, as if to overcome the shock of what she had just seen.

"Sorry" she said. "As I was I was saying, I am the goddess Belldandy and these are my associates; my sister Urd and the Valkyrie Lind". Urd waved sheepishly, while Lind merely grunted as she tugged her axe free of the wall. Jago grinned and started to chuckle.

"You're serious aren't you" he said. Belldandy nodded. "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle" Jago kept chuckling, earning him an odd look from the three goddesses.

"What's so funny?" asked Lind, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

"Nothing" Jago replied, still grinning. "Well, a long story anyway". He stopped. "Now, I can foresee this turning into a long conversation so before we continue, I'm gonna need some breake and a brew". He glanced at the clock. "Quarter past seven" he said, "Should be all quiet on the Western Front".

8888

The kitchen looked like a disaster area. Empty cans, bottles and plastic cups littered the tables, next to the unidentifiable remains of half-eaten takeaways. A mountain of dirty dishes occupied the central work surface and filled the sinks to overflowing and an unidentified, sticky residue covered the floor around one of the tables, gumming the shoes of all who walk across it. The three goddess sat at the one clean table and watched as Jago paced back and forth across the room, scooping up litter and rubbish and pilling it into its respective bins while, he waited for the microwave to complete its cycle.

"How can anyone live like this?" asked Urd.

"Necessity" Jago replied. "I can't afford anything better so this is what I get". He paused as he went past the kettle and looked at the three of them.

"I know Bell likes tea but what about you two? I've only got English breakfast tea but it's better than nothing".

"Not if the cups are anything like the rest of this kitchen" Urd said, with obvious disgust.

"I'll have you know that unlike the rest of these buggers, I always keep my stuff clean and useable. Now, do you want a brew? Yes or no". The goddesses looked at each other.

"Ok" said Urd.

"Milk and sugar?" They looked at each other again.

"Yes".

"Good, good, Добре, Добре (*1)" he said, pouring out the tea and then handing them out before sitting down opposite them with his own mug and a huge, steaming bowl of porridge. "So let me get this straight" he said, taking a swig of tea. "An incredibly powerful Valkyrie attempted to come to Earth but on the way she was attacked".

"Yes".

"An attack which not only had the power to kill her in one blow but also to send her soaring across the better part of six-thousand miles, so that she would end up crashing into Manchester".

"Yes".

"Right in front of the only person in the whole of the bloody city who would have tried to help her". There was a pause.

"Possibly, yes".

"And it's because of my trying to help that I now have her soul, A.K.A. her angel now living inside me. An angel, who is as it turns out, is incredibly powerful in combat but lacks access to most spells".

"Yes".

"And you three are her because?" Lind took a sip of tea and cleared her throat.

"I was told to come and secure the Arch to either save her or recover her, in order that she would be protected from demons. We knew her mistress wasn't going to last much longer but due to their nature, Archs can survive short periods without a host. It was my plan to seal the Arch before she fell into the wrong hands. As we didn't yet know who or what you were beyond the fact that you were human and as it was possible that you were in fact a disguised demon, I thought it prudent to bring Belldandy and Urd along with me. The original plan was for us to seal the Arch and then transport her back to heaven so that we could find out exactly what had happened to her and her Mistress and more importantly, why she had tried to come to Earth in the first place. The problem was that if you had named her and so imprinted with her before we could find her, we would not have the strength to bind her and her host at the same time".

"Ok" Jago said, "First of all, she's not "The Arch", she has a name. Her name is Astrakhan Lamb. Or Lamb, for short. Secondly, why did you attack me? I know I drew a knife but throwing lightning bolts is going a bit far!"

"My bad" said Urd. "I have a temper and when drew the knife, I thought you were going to attack us".

"Also my bad" said Lind. "When you earthed the lightning, I mistook you for a demon and so I was going to have to cripple you in order to release the Arc-", she paused, "to release Lamb".

"So it was a misunderstanding" Jago said with a smile of relief, finishing the porridge and downing the last of his tea. "Unfortunately, this leaves us with two problems. Firstly, you can't have Lamb. You seem like nice people but I would still fight to the death to protect her from you, although you now tell me that's not necessary as even your combined strength would not be enough to seal both her and me. Plus" and he looked directly at Lind for this bit, "what the hell are going to tell your boss? Secondly, even with all her power, Lamb can't stay here. She may be strong but my guess is whatever attacked her is probably still out there and when it realises that she is still alive, it will probably come after us. Now I may be fairly strong, even for my size and weight and she may be a good fighter but on our own, even against just one demon, we would probably have trouble. So where can I go to keep us safe?" They all sat in silence for a few minutes, each locked in their own thoughts. In the end it was Lamb who broke the silence, quietly coming out to speak to them all.

"I have an idea" she said "Something that could solve all of our problems". Jago gave her a frown.

"Ok, let's hear it. However, just for the record, it's not safe for you to be out and about in the kitchen, even at seven on a Sunday. Three strangely dressed women is easy. But if someone saw you, we'd all be in deep shit. You're not exactly easy to explain".

"Sorry Master" Lamb said and then continued "Ok, the way I see it is you need somewhere you can keep an eye on us and we need somewhere to hide. So what would be the easiest way to achieve this?" They all shrugged. "Simple" said Lamb "We move in with you guys!" Belldandy clapped her hands and smiled.

"That's wonderful Astrakhan Lamb" she said and smiled her sweet smile. "It would be wonderful if you and your master moved into the temple with us!"

"I have to admit" said Lind, "It would certainly help if you were somewhere that I could keep an eye on". Only Urd looked sceptical.

"I don't know you guys" she said. "With Eir and Saga living there, there isn't much room left, especially if Lind and Chrono have to move in as well. Besides, wouldn't the presence of an Arch attract the attention of unwanted parties?"

"You mean Hild don't you?" said Belldandy. "Don't worry, I'm sure that together we are strong enough that she wouldn't try anything!" The Jago spoke up.

"In terms of the building" he said "I've had some experience in construction. If needs must, I could whack an extension together. It wouldn't be pretty but it would be liveable. Besides, I never really liked uni anyways".

"Then its settled" Belldandy said clapping her hands again. "Jago and Lamb will move in with us!" Jago smiled.

"Ok then. I going to need about a week to put my affairs in order, officially leave uni, sort out my bank and pack up my stuff. Will you be ready to take me by then?"

"Yes, that sounds perfect" said Belldandy.

"Ok then" said Jag., "But before anything else, I think I have figured out what Lamb's energy source is".

"Whats that?"

"Food! She's a regular little tapeworm! And while I'm up, who wants another brew?"

8888

It was decided. Jago would spend a week in Manchester, ensuring that his moving out went as smoothly as possible. This meant organising his bank, speaking to the university to ensure that he was officially signed off the list and most importantly; eating all the food left in the fridge. Meanwhile, the three goddesses would take it in turns to keep an eye on him and Lamb, to make sure that nothing bothered them during their final week in Manchester. It was decided that Lind would take the first watch, with Belldandy taking her place either later that evening or early the next morning. Most of the day went smoothly until that night, when Lind took her turn on watch. Urd had just returned home, having lost the umpteenth game of cards and vowing to beat him in their next match when Lind materialised in the room. It took a moment for her to orientate herself but then spotted Jago and Lamb and descended to the floor.

"Good evening" she said, with her trademark expressionless face. "I trust you have had success in moving out?" she asked.

"S'all good" Jago replied. "They agreed to give me a partial refund on my rent and I have a week to get my stuff moved out. The plan is tomorrow we organise a flight and be on our way sometime Saturday or Sunday. I've also told my family that I am going abroad for a while and while I would be in touch, it would be patchy at best. So all in all, it's s'all good" he said with his grin.

"That sounds satisfactory" said Lind.

"However" Jago said, "as this is our last week here, Lamb and I thought we'd make a night of it. So we'se going out. I thought bacon, egg and sausage butties at the Couch Potato and then drinks at whichever pubs we could find. Not the bars though. Too noisy. And full of students".

"I'm not sure that this is the best of ideas" Lind said, looking doubtful. "It would be far safer if we were to stay here".

"Come now, don't be a spoil-sport" Jago said. "I'm fare scarier than anything than you'll find in this city".

"What about demons?"

"I'm not worried about no demons. This is _my _city. I'm probably the scariest thing on these streets. Plus with Lamb _and_ you, I doubt anything will show up". Lind looked puzzled.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Why not?" Jago said. "Even a Valkyrie has to let her hair down sometimes".

"I'm still not convinced about THAT" Lind said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh, come on Lind" said Lamb, appearing quietly from Jago. "It would be no fun without you. Plus" and she said this with a wicked grin "I believe your angels would like to try a night on the town". Lind looked stunned.

"How did you know I had two? Even in heaven, that's a closely guarded secret!"

"I'm an Arch" said Lamb, "I can _see_ them". With that, Spear Mint and Cool Mint both appeared, filling the room with their presence.

"She's right you know Mistress" said Cool Mint. "We should go".

"Please Mistress?" said Spear Mint. It was this that sealed the deal for Lind Who was she to argue with three angels, two of them her own?

"Oh, alright!" she said. They all beamed at her and the three angels retreated back into their Masters.

"Da, Добре!" Jago said and started pulling on his boots.

"However" said Lind "I must insist that you take some sort of weapon. If we are attacked, you will need some way to defend yourself and I doubt that you have had much chance to learn magic from Lamb yet".

"Ok, no prob" Jago said, "I'll take my mora (*2) with me if you're really worried". He then though of something. "There is one problem though".

"And that is?"

"Your clothes. I know skin tight leather is the Valkyrie uniform but I'm not sure how they would fit in on the streets of Manchester".

"Very well then, I'll change" said Lind, closing her eyes. She started to glow and when she stopped, her leather uniform had been completely replaced. She was wearing a plain pink t-shirt and long black jeans, with a pair of matching leather boots. "Will this suffice?" she asked. Jago sat staring for a moment until Lind folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Right, yes, sorry" said Jago, shaking himself off and then smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, that's a bit of a new trick to me. As for your cloths, their good but you're missing… something". He crossed to the wardrobe and began digging through the contents, muttering to himself. Before long, he found what he was looking for and tossed it to her. It was a jacket made of soft black leather, worn but still in good condition.

"And I need this because…?"

"I don't know if you feel it but its bloody cold out there" he said. "If you want to pass as human, I suggest you put it on". Lind shrugged and pulled it on. "It suits you" said Jago, tugging on his own jacket. "Right then" he said. "Shall we be off?"

8888

The Couch Potato wasn't exactly a posh place. Sheila, the owner had long ago figured out that the best way to make money in a cold, wet city was to provide cheap food that filled you up and provided you with the four basic food groups: bacon, eggs, sausages and spuds, preferably in huge quantities. It was also the best place in Manchester to pick up on the latest local news, with their special "coffee for gossip" deal. Jago was a regular, especially during the morning trade as a big, greasy breakfast was generally what you needed after coming off a splatter's shift (*3).

In fact, he knew several of the cooks by name.

"Evenin', John" he said with a huge grin, "How's life treating you?"

"Same old, same old" said John. "The usual?"

"Go on then" Jago said and the paused. "Hang on a minute" he said and turned to Lind. "Bacon, egg, sausage sarnie and a coke?" he asked.

"That sounds…. adequate" said Lind.

"Alright John, five of the best with two cokes" he said.

"Why so many?" said Lind, cocking her head slightly.

"You'll see" he said. After a few minutes, the food was ready and he paid up, before collecting the five large paper bags and leading Lind out of the café.

"Where are we going now?" said Lind, obviously annoyed.

"Just through here" said Jago and led her across the road to a locked gate in a wrought iron fence. The gate led to small park area, dark from a lack of street lights and surrounded by bushes. Jago grabbed hold of the top railing of the vaulted the fence, landing cleanly on the other side. "I thought we could use some privacy" he said and started to amble through the park towards a bench, hidden beneath an old cherry tree. Lind quickly followed and watched impatiently as Jago took a seat.

"Ok, do you mind explaining what we're doing here?" she said. "And why did you buy so many sandwiches?"

"Well" he said, "I thought I would do this" and he called out Astrakhan Lamb.

"Yes Master?" she said. Lind was horrified.

"Are you mad!? If she's seen then there will be hell to pay!" Jago smiled

"That's why I chose the park" he said. "There's nobody around because they lock it at night and because of those bushes, no-one can see us. Besides" he said with a grin, "I thought Lamb might want to try a bacon sandwich". Lind calmed a little at this.

"Are you sure that no-one can see her?" she asked.

"Pretty sure" he said. "And now, the reason for the sandwiches; I thought your girls would like to try bacon sandwiches". Now Lind just looked confused.

"What? Why?" Jago thought for a minute and then shrugged.

"No reason. I just thought it would be a good idea. I may be an evil old git but it don't mean I don't try and be nice on occasion". Jago smiled again and handed one of the sandwiches to Lamb, who bit into it with a ravenous gusto.

"It's so good!" she said between bites. "It's smoky and meaty and warm and soft! And the sauce! I don't know what it is but it's excellent!"

"Britain's gift to the world!" Jago said, "Brown sauce!" It was then that a pair of tiny voices piped up.

"If you please mistress, they do look good!"

"I would if I were you" Jago said, "or you'll never hear the end of it". Lind looked furious for a second, feeling that her angels had somehow betrayed her but then she relented, her face returning to its normal calm composure.

"Very well" she said and the twin angels sprang forth, each taking a sandwich and starting to eat with as much vigour as Astrakhan Lamb, with every sign of enjoyment while Jago tossed the final one to Lind.

"Come on you take a seat and have a bite". She did. They were right. It was good.

8888

After food, it was time for a drink. For that, they required the Zoo. The Zoo was a two part club. One half was a 90's style bar full of drunken, hormonally charged students. Hot, noisy and dark, with huge, disorientating rave lights. Not a nice place. The other was a proper pub. The one where students rarely went. It was the kind of bar where if there had been a sign saying "Check Your Weapons", you would have checked to make sure that they were still there and that the safety was off. It was where the hard cases drank. And where Jago drank. The barman gave a barely perceptible nod at him as he walked in, which he returned and then led Lind to a booth in the back. A waitress silently came over carrying two pint glasses of cider and a quartet of shot glasses full of a clear spirit, setting them down in front of Lind and Jago. Lind looked curiously at the drinks.

"What….. is that?" she said with obvious distaste. Jago calmly picked up one of the shots and poured it into his pint.

"This is a boiler-maker" he said. "A large quantity of brown ale to get you drunk, with a shot of strong spirits to keep out the cold". He then picked up the glass and drained it in less than twenty seconds. "The trick is" he said, with a gasp "to drink the whole lot in one, without taking a breath. Go on, give it a go". Lind looked sceptical but complied, pouring one of the shots into the huge glass and then taking a drink. The sour liquid burned as it coursed down her throat, causing her to splutter and gasp.

"My god!" she said, setting down the half-finished drink. "It's vile!" Jago smiled.

"I admit it has a bit of an acquired taste. Maybe we should try something else". He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. He clicked it a few times but nothing happened. "Bloody hell, out of fuel again". Then he had an idea. He glanced around quickly to make sure that no-one was watching. Lind meanwhile was still trying to recover from the shock of the boiler-maker.

"What are you doing?" she coughed and then gasped as Jago snapped his fingers and a small flame leapt from the tip of his thumb. "Where in the world did you learn to do that!?" she said, astonished. Jago just smiled.

"Lamb taught me" he said and then gently held his thumb over one of the remaining shot glasses. The fumes from the shot ignited and the entire surface of the drink caught fire. He then did the same to Lind's second shot before blowing out his thumb. He then clapped one hand down, over the top of his shot and extinguished the fire. "Down the hatch!" he said and gulped the shot. Again, Lind tried to copy him, too much the same effect as the last drink.

"How can you drink this stuff?" she said.

"Jago fun fact. I have an incredible tolerance for alcohol and immunity from hangovers. Now you appear to be a beginner so I don't recommend that you try and keep up with me". Lind riled at this.

"I have never been beaten by a human at anything! You may be good at drinking this poison but if you can do it, then so can I!" Jago gave her a sly grin.

"Is that a challenge?" he said, one eyebrow raised. Lind nodded.

"Right then!" Jago shouted and waved to the waitress. She came over quickly, carrying another round, which she set down before them. "Ok, simple rules" Jago said. "Last one to die is a sissy!"

8888

It was quite some time later that the fight began. Lind and Jago were on the seventh round when _they_ showed up. Bikers. Six of them. All leather and scary tattoos. Clearly looking for someone to pound. Most of the patrons quickly left, sensing trouble. It was a laugh that caught their attention. Lind had never drunk so much in her life and was finding Jago's struggles against a packet of crisps incredibly funny. The bikers grinned at one-another and made their way over.

"Hey darling" the leader said to Lind with a crude leer. "Why don't you come hang with us?" Lind looked up and physically recoiled from the sight of the hulking biker, while Jago's usual grin faded to an angry scowl.

"No" she said simply, tuning away.

"Come on darling" said the biker, leaning closer and still leering while reaching out to grab her shoulder.

"She said no" Jago said quietly, getting to his feet.

"Oh yeah, you gonna try and stop us kid?"

"That be about the size of it" he said and took a step towards them. The bikers laughed.

"Piss off kid. And you girl, you're coming with us" the biker said and grabbed Lind's shoulder. Big mistake. Lind was on her feet in less than a second and punched the biker hard in the stomach. She may have been drunk and unsteady but she still had enough strength to send the unlucky biker careening over the top of the bar, to land in a groaning heap.

"I. Said. NO!" growled Lind, swaying slightly. Another of the bikers stepped forward.

"Why you little!" he said and raised a hand to slap Lind hard across the face. But to his surprise, he found that once he had his hand raised, he couldn't move it. He looked over his shoulder and to his horror, he realised that Jago was calmly but firmly holding his arm in such a way that it couldn't be moved.

"That would be a very bad move" Jago said, his voice barely more than a whisper. It was then that a third biker stepped forward and punched Jago hard across the left-hand side of his jaw, dislocating it. Jago grunted and with his free hand, he snapped his jaw back into place. "And that was a very stupid thing to do" he said. He then brought his right hand down hard on the shoulder of the second biker, shattering his collar bone with a sickening crack. He released the man's hand, letting him fall squirming to the floor. He then stepped over the fallen man, raised both fists and calmly rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck. "Right then!" he said, "Come 'ere!"

The next few seconds were a blur as Jago tore into the remaining bikers, dishing out savage punches as he went. Lind followed close behind, using her immense strength to hurl the big bikers across the room. And then, as fast as it began, it was over with the six hulking men all lying on the floor groaning, one bleeding heavily from where a shot glass had been shattered in his hand, cutting through the tendons. Jago bent over and examined the hand.

"He'll live. But he'll never move his hand again" he said. He then savagely kicked the man in the fork, getting a squeal and a groan for his efforts. He then turned to the barman who had emerged from his hiding place, behind the counter. "I trust I can leave you to clean all this up?" Jago said. The man nodded. "Good" said Jago and then handed over a handful of notes. "What I owe you" he said. "Plus a little extra for the broken glass". The man took the money without a word, simply nodding. Jago then turned to Lind who was standing over the one of the beaten bikers, steadily stomping him while swaying slightly. Jago walked up to her and quietly put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on you, let's head off before the Rozzers show up" he said, his customary grin returning to his face. Lind stopped and returned the smile.

"Yes" she said, "Let's".

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It was late when Jago and Lind eventually returned home, roaring drunk after visiting three more pubs. They were singing loudly, a song that Jago had taught Lind, called "MY Old Man's a Dustman!" and swaying slightly as they went. At last though, they finally made it back to Jago's room, with Jago collapsing into the pile of washing that covered the easy chair and Lind stumbling onto the bed, giggling quietly as she did so.

"What a night!" Jago said. "The way you handled those bikers! And that man who tried to mug us! That face he made when you kicked him in the fork!" Lind sat up and giggled.

"W-w-we have to do this again sometime! "she said, squinting at Jago.

"Aye, that we will" Jago said, running his fingers through his hair. "But first I gotta check something" he said and released Astrakhan Lamb. "How you doing lass?" he said.

"Ok Master" she said, he cheeks rosy from the effect of all that liquor. "I feel a little dizzy though". Jago smiled.

"Fair enough" he said. "I suppose we had better be getting to bed then".

"It that case, I had better take the chair" said Lind and tried to stand. However, she overbalanced and started to fall backwards. Jago tried to catch her but ended up just being pulled over as well. On top of her. On the bed.

"Sorry" he said, looking sheepish. Lind smiled blearily back.

"It's ok, it was my fault" she said and they both giggled. And then they fell silent. And then on impulse, Jago leaned forward and kissed her. Lind's eyes opened wide and she sat there for a moment, unsure of how to respond, before pushing him off of her and retreating to the far end of the bed, fear and uncertainty in her eyes. She slapped him. He paused for a second, rubbing his face in shock and then realisation dawned over what he had just done.

"My god, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over-"he started to say but was cut off as Lind hugged him to her and planted a deeper, more passionate kiss on his lips.

"Shut up you fool" she said quietly and pushed him down hard against the bed. And that night, they were lovers. Wild and enthusiastic lovers. So engrossed were they in one-another that neither of them noticed the light shine in from the mirror as Belldandy materialised in the room.

"Good evening!" she started to say and then turned bright red at the spectacle in front of her. "Oh my" she thought with her hand to her mouth. "I didn't know Lind made _that _kind of noise!" She then tactfully retreated back into the mirror, materialising back in the temple in Nekomi. She was still red but was now chuckleing to herself as she walked back through the house. Urd came out of the tea room to see what was going on and was surprised to find Belldandy still in the house.

"Hey Bell, what are you still doing here? Weren't you supposed to be replacing Lind on Arch-watch?"

"I was but, uh" Belldandy said "but Lind said she would take care of him for tonight". She turned red again and giggled, walking away before Urd could ask any more questions.

"Strange" Urd said. "I would have thought a job like this would drive Lind mad".

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It was many hours later. Jago's room was quiet, except for the sound of snoring. Jago lay with his back against the wall, his right hand under his head, his left wrapped protectively around Lind, holding her close to himself. On the floor beside the bed, the three angels lay quietly, entwined around one another, sleeping peacefully. And hovering above them all was _her_. Hild. Demon queen of all of hell. She smiled, her eyes glowing purple in the darkness.

"Well, well" she said quietly. "He manages to tame himself an Arch _and_ a Valkyrie in less than fourty-eight hours. That's quite a feat". She rubbed her stomach, feeling the being move inside of her. "Now then, let's see how he handles another one shall we?"

*1 Bulgarian, meaning good, spelt dobrze, pronounced "dob-ray"

*2 A mora (pronounced moo-ra) is a Swedish made work knife, popular among outdoorsman for its ruggedness and ease of maintenance.

*3 Splatters are kind of like bouncers but the effects tend to be more permanent.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Twoarchs**

Soft morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of the unfamiliar room, making her already aching head pound. She groaned and tried to organise her thoughts. Who was she? Lind. Valkyrie goddess, First Class, Third Category, Unlimited Licence. Ok. Where was she? She struggled to remember. A room. University halls. Manchester, England. Why was she here? Why did her head hurt so much? She paused and tried to collect her thoughts. Most importantly, whose arm was it that was draped across her? It wasn't one of her angels; this was a man's arm, with rough, calloused palms that had been tempered through hard work. Plus, neither of her angels had a belly. A belly which she could feel gently pressing into her back. It was then she remembered. Her mission. The Arch- Lamb; that was her name. She remembered getting drunk, properly drunk for the first time in her life, even though Jago had warned not to try and keep up with him. And then they had come back in the small hours of the mourning. And then. And then!

"Shit" she thought and then groaned again as the memories, however pleasant, brought a fresh feeling of pain to her head and stomach.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty" Jago said sleepily, gently nuzzling her hair.

"Tell me" said Lind "did we...?"

"Yep" said Jago, still refusing to open his eyes. "Why, do you regret it?" he asked and although he couldn't see it, he could feel her smile.

"No" said Lind. Then she groaned again. "But I do regret not following your advice about not trying to keep up with your drinking".

"Sound advice from the evidence" said a new voice. To Lind, a very familiar voice. With a shock, she leapt from the bed, summoning her poleaxe as she went and caught Hild squarely in the stomach, pinning the demon against the wall, while her two angels flew to her aid, adding their weight to that of the axe in an effort to keep Hild trapped.

"Hild, what are you doing here?" Lind shouted, her faces inches from the demons. Hild smiled and with barely a grunt of effort she pushed the axe back, pulling the blade from the wall and allowing herself to be move freely once more.

"Relax Golden Eye" she said. "I have come to talk to the human about the Arch".

"Why?" said Lind, her face set in a defiant glare.

"I have a business proposition for him that would be mutually beneficial for him, as well as the rest of Heaven and Hell". She sighed as Lind's face remained defiant. "Look, I don't plan on causing any trouble. I swear".

"And why should I believe you?" asked Lind. "How can we trust you? Be warned, as this human is in my care".

"Well you can't and you shouldn't" said Hild. "However, to put things in perspective, I'm not the moody, hung-over Valkyrie who just attacked the most powerful demon in all of existence _whilst not wearing any knickers!_" Lind looked confused for a second but then it dawned on her. She glanced down. She turned red. Still holding the axe, her two angels each spread their single wing and covered their mistress as best they could whilst both exhibiting a full body blush.

"If I could make a point here?" said Jago as he tugged on a pair of trousers. The four turned to him as he stood, Astrakhan Lamb floating quietly behind his left shoulder. "First of all" he said, "if it saves what's left of my room, I am willing to hear what uh, Hild was it?" Hild nodded. "Right, I am willing to hear what Hild has to say. Secondly, I may not get hang-overs but before we do anything else I need some wake-me-up juice. And as there's a demon present, might I suggest strong black coffee. And thirdly and probably most important…" and he said this last bit directly to Lind, with a huge cheeky grin spread across his face; "I suggest you at least put some underwear on".

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A little while later, the three of them were sat around the room, Hild and Jago sat facing each other him reclining on the now clear on the easy chair, booted feet crossed in front of him while she hovered cross-legged opposite him just above the desk, each with a mug of coffee so strong it would kill any normal person. Lind meanwhile, sat cross-legged on the bed, now wearing the clothes that she had conjured up the night before but with the addition of a bag of frozen peas, held against her head with a rubber band. They were all silent for a while, with Jago and Hild contemplating each-other over the top of the mugs. In the end, it was Lind who broke the silence.

"Ok Hild, what is this deal you came here to offer?" Hild smiled.

"The deal, my dear is simple but it may require some explanation". She turned to Jago. "Now dear, do you have any idea of the concept of the doublet system?" she asked.

"Vaguely" said Jago. "From what I understand, in order to prevent war between Heaven and Hell, every being is paired with another from the opposite side. I'm not sure of all the details but from what I could make out, it means that if you kill either a demon or a heavenly being, then someone on the other side would also die, meaning that you would potentially cause as much harm to your own side as to the enemies. In fact, there is probably a chance that you could end up killing yourself, although I believe nobody knows who their doublet is so you could never be sure". He took a sip of coffee. "How close am I?" Hild winked at him.

"You got it in one" she said. "However, there is one important bit that you appear to have missed".

"And what might that be?" Jago said, returning the wink with a grin.

"The bit that pertains to Archs" said Hild. "You see, when the doublet system was created, to ensure that no one side would ever have more power, all Archs were paired with other Archs. This meant that if an Arch was ever assassinated, it would not give one side an unfair advantage, mainly because it was feared that one side might decide that a normal strength being would be worth sacrificing if it meant that one side could remain keep its own Arch. You with me so far?" she asked. Jago nodded. "Well anyway, what happened the other day appears to have been an assassination attempt by a being that doesn't care about the doublet system. We can't tell who or what it was, only that they were strong enough to kill and Arch-Praetorian without much trouble". Lind's head jerked up.

"She was a Praetorian?" she asked.

"What's a Praetorian?" asked Jago.

"A Praetorian" said Hild, "are the elite guard of either Heaven or Hell. Generally, they are far stronger than most Valkyries or members of the Niflguard. Although" and she said this while looking straight at Lind, "there are exceptions. As I was saying though" she said, "whoever did this was extremely powerful. And it has caused major uproar. Both sides want blood. But that isn't my most immediate problem". She now turned to face Jago directly. "When the Praetorian was killed, so was her doublet, a particularly powerful sorceress and spell keeper, known as Mare". Lind physically stiffened at the name, making Hild grin. "Ah, I see you know the name" she said.

"Who hasn't heard of the first true Nightmare?"

"Who indeed?" said Hild. "Anyway, she was killed too. Or at least, she was mostly killed. And this is where you come in" she said to Jago. "You see, that wish you made, not only did it give you an Arch but thanks to the doublet system it prevented hers from dying. And this leaves me with a problem. I can't have a disembodied Arch-devil wondering around Hell. Too much bureaucracy."

"And your point is?" asked Jago. Hild raised an eyebrow but otherwise decided to ignore the comment.

"My point is dear Jago, that she needs a host. I can't give her to one of the new demons; you need a particular kind of host called an Arch-caster for that to work. How you managed it even with the wish is beyond me but there you have it. And she can't be given to another Arch. You can't have three sources of power in a single body. It would destroy it".

"Why don't you support it?" asked Jago. This earned him a look.

"While I hadn't thought of that, it wouldn't be practical for the ruler of Hell to support another devil. Even one as powerful as an Arch. No, the way I see it, there is only one way to go about this, short of ripping YOUR Arch right out of you. And that would be to pass her on… to you!" The room went deathly quiet. Eventually, it was the appearance of Lamb that broke the spell. She floated just to Jago's left and folded her arms across her chest, her turquoise eyes flashing.

"I don't think that is such a good idea" she said, a note of warning in her voice. Hild looked amused.

"And why not, pray tell?" she said. Lamb's face remained set in a stubborn expression.

"Jago is _my_ Master" she said. "I do _not_ plan on sharing him with a devil, no matter the reason". Lind nodded.

"This is a bad idea" she said. "There's no way of knowing exactly what might happen to either Lamb or Jago if they had to support an Arch-devil as well". Hild cocked her head.

"You called her Lamb?" she said.

"Astrakhan Lamb, yes" Jago said, "And before you two say any more, I want to hear what Hild has to say". Both Lamb and Lind looked appalled.

"What?" screamed Lind.

"Master!" cried Lamb.

"Just wait" he said. "My reasoning is this; whatever it was that attacked Lamb and her mistress is by now probably aware that she survived. SO, it's only a matter of time before it comes looking for us. Now I know you two are strong" he said to Lind and Lamb," but can you be sure that you can beat something like that". Both looked down. "Secondly, this devils powers. If she is as strong as I think she is then she would probably bring Lamb and I up to the same kind of power level as a proper Arch. Thirdly," and he looked a bit grim for this last bit, "I don't think we have much choice. If what Hild say's is true then it would probably be better if we could look after this devil. I don't much like the idea" he admitted, "but we have to try and make the best of this situation".

"Master….." Lamb said quietly, still looking unsure.

"It'll be ok Lamb" said Jago. "Come on, we've got to at least meet her". She still looked unsure. "Alright" he said, "I tell you what. We meet her now. If she seems ok, then we have a probation. Say a month? I will try and come up with a name for her in that time which should hopefully help the process. Then and only then, will we decide on whether she stays permanently. If it doesn't work out, it should at least give Hild a chance to find a suitable host for her".

"Well…" said Lamb and she glanced across at Lind. Lind looked just as doubtful as Lamb but she nodded, causing the bag of peas to fall off her head, making Lamb giggle. "Ok Master" she finally said. Jago winked at her and clicked his tongue.

"Good girl" he said, "and thank you for supporting me". He then turned to Hild. "Ok then" he said. "Let's meet this devil of yours!"

8888

Hild smiled and whispered something and with a blinding flash, the devil appeared behind her. Like Lamb, she was tall and slim with very pale skin. Also like Lamb, she wore just a few strips of cloth around her legs and breasts. However, this is where the similarities ended. Her hands were long and slender, with long nails, almost claws growing from the end of each finger. Her body was covered in a series of dark grey markings or tattoos, almost like rippling water. From her back was a pair of large, bat like, deep purple wings. Their shade matched that of her hair which was long but unlike Lamb's which was tightly curled, this was straight and stuck out sideways as a long, ragged spike from the right side of her head. Her lips were curled in a cruel smile, revealing a pair of short fangs which protruded slightly from her upper lip. However, it was her eyes that held Jago's attention. A deep orange, with a look of cruelty. The look of someone who was truly malevolent. But with a touch of sadness, as if she had lost something dear to her. And then she spoke. Unlike Lamb's voice which was warm and caring, hers was more like a knife; cold, hard and cutting.

"So this is the human who has separated me from my Mistress. I can't say that I'm terribly impressed" she said as she folded her arms across her chest. Lamb bristled at this and moved forward slightly as if to shield Jago from the devil, her eyes glaring daggers.

"Do not insult my Master!" she said, wings flaring slightly. The devil snorted.

"Master? Him? Don't tell me he has already imprinted you?"

"Yes, he imprinted me" she said proudly. "I am now free to call myself Astrakhan Lamb. And as for my master, he may not be as strong as my former Mistress but he has a good heart". Then she gave a cruel smile. "While you are little better than a _hobgoblin_ until you find someone to be your host!"

"How dare you!" shrieked the devil. "You _flutterbird_!" Lamb stiffened at this and Jago could sense the tension coursing through her. One of the things he had learnt through the imprinting was that _flutterbird_ was one of the worst insults an angel could receive, meaning a useless weak parasite of an angel and judging from her reaction, _hobgoblin_ probably had the same sort of meaning for devils. Lamb clenched her fists and slowly began sinking down to a half crouch, her fists raised and it was at this point that Jago decided to interrupt, before another fight broke out in his room.

"I think we should be more open minded, my girl" he said to Lamb. "She may be a devil but I think at least for the time being, we should give her the benefit of the doubt". He then stood and held out his hand to the devil. "Pleased to meet you, my friend" he said. The devil looked confused for a second, not sure what to do with the offered hand. Jago saw her confusion. "You're supposed to take it in your own hand and shake it" he said.

"Why?"

"It's a polite greeting. Plus it will give us a measure of each other". The devil, still unsure, took the hand and shook it. To Jago, it was much of what he expected. She felt cold and aloof. But also scared and this surprised him. But then again he thought this is probably to be expected. He on the other hand felt odd to her. She thought that he would be weak and hostile. But his hand was warm and welcoming, firm and with a tiny touch of sadness. She then released him and blushed slightly, looking at her hand, unsure by the feelings she had got off of him. Meanwhile, Lamb reached out with her mind and touched Jago.

"_Master, what do you think? Is she to be trusted?"_ Jago jumped inside but tried not to show it.

_"How the Hell did you do that!?"_ he thought back.

_"This is how we usually communicate with our masters when we are outside. It means we can share our thoughts without interruption. Now, as I said master, what do you think? Can we trust her?"_ Jago paused for a second before answering.

_"She may seem dark and aloof but most of all, she's scared. And lonely. I think we can trust her"_. It was then that he realised that the all three of them; the devil, Hild and Lind were all staring at him, as he had been quiet for quite some time.

"Sorry" he said sheepishly. Now it was Hild's turn to speak.

"So, will you take her?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"Probation. One month. If everything is fine by then, she will stay. Otherwise, you can take her back". Hild nodded in agreement. Jago scratched his head. "Do, you have a number I can call you with?" he asked. Hild was taken by surprise.

"This is a day of firsts for me" she said. "First, being attacked by a naked Valkyrie, then having coffee with an Arch controlling human and now being asked by the same human for my phone number!"

"I just thought it would be useful" Jago said. "Never know when I might need a favour from the devil!" Hild smiled at this and conjured up a small piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Smart boy" she said and then stood. "Now to business. Let's get this devil transferred". She leaned in close to Jago and whispered, "Here she comes". And she kissed him. To say it was a surprise was nothing. From the corner of his eye, Jago saw Lind bristle as Hild's lips touched his own. Then his senses were overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of power, as the devil was transferred to him. Then Hild broke contact. "She's yours now" said Hild, "take care of her. Now I had best be going". She summoned a portal and slowly started to disappear. Half where down she paused. "I'll be back to check on you in a few days. Take care!" and with that she was gone, leaving Jago alone in the room, with Lamb and Lind. He sat down heavily, scratched his head and sighed.

"This," he said, "is going to be a long week".

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It was couple of hours later when Belldandy appeared again. At least this time, she peaked through the mirror to make sure that it was safe for her to enter before she did so. She didn't want to cause a faux-pass like she almost had last night. Luckily, all seemed fairly well. Lind laid full stretch on the bed, the bag of peas pressed against her temple while Jago was busy clearing his desk of pots and pans, packing them into an old cardboard box. There was something different about him now though. Belldandy could sense more power from him. It was disturbing. But it wasn't time to worry about things.

"Good morning!" she said brightly, floating into the room. "I trust you are all ok this morning?" Jago looked up and smiled.

"Mornin Bell" he said, "it's good to see you!" Belldandy smiled.

"Thank you!" she said and clapped her hands.

"Please keep it down" groaned Lind.

"Oh dear" said Belldandy, "is Lind alright?" Jago looked over and chuckled.

"Yeah, she just had a bit too much to drink last night, that's all. She's a bit hung-over". Belldandy looked concerned.

"That's a shame. Should I see if I can help her?" she asked. Jago nodded and Belldandy floated over to Lind, who tried to wave her away.

"I'm fine" she said. "My head just hurts a little".

"You are clearly not fine. Now please, lie still and let me help you". Belldandy started to softly chant, glowing as she did so and quickly the spell spread to Lind, who felt the pain quickly melt away. She sat up and shook her head.

"Thanks for that" she said and gave Belldandy a rare smile. It was then that Belldandy remembered her message.

"Oh Lind, before I forget, there was a message from the Almighty for you. He wants you to return to Heaven on a temporary mission. He wants to know the exact situation and what your plan is for the time being". Lind vaulted out of bed, a look of worry across her face.

"Why didn't you say so!" she said and in a flash, she changed back into her Valkyrie uniform. All except the jacket. "Here" she said, handing it to Jago. "Thank you". Jago looked at it and then handed it back, shaking his head.

"Keep it" he said, "as a gift". Lind smiled and slid it over her the top of her leathers before leaning forward to kiss him gently on the cheek.

"Thank you" she said as she withdrew, blushing slightly and then started to summon a portal to take her home. As she stepped in and started to ascend Jago and Belldandy stood and waved goodbye. Then, just before she disappeared, Jago called something out to her.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he said, beaming. And then she was gone.

It was then that Belldandy turned to Jago and she asked him, "Now mister Jago, I don't mean to intrude but you seem much more powerful today. Surely Lamb done something has she?" Jago sat down heavily, flicking on the kettle.

"This is going to take some explaining" he said. "I think a brew is in order. And a fag". He leaned over to the desk and picked up a crumpled packet of cigarettes, lighting one with a flick of his thumb. Belldandy  
wrinkled her nose slightly. "Sorry" Jago said, Filthy habit, I know but it does help is I'm stressed. Besides, I only have maybe one per day". He took a pull. "Anyway, to answer your question, no Lamb hasn't done anything. In fact" he said, scratching his head with a spare hand, "it's probably better if I show you". With a small grunt he summoned both the devil and Astrakhan Lamb, causing Belldandy to gasp. "You see" he said. "I now have two Archs".

8888

"And so now, I am a double host" he said, after a lengthy explanation. Belldandy seemed happy by what had transpired.

"It's so nice that you agreed to adopt the devil! I feel that we will get along very well!" she said smiling. Behind them, Holybell was talking quietly to Lamb and the new devil, smiling as she did so. The devil was fairly quiet, while Lamb talked animatedly, although she seemed uncomfortable being so close to her new sister. Meanwhile, Jago poured out more tea and handed one to Belldandy.

"Yes" he said. "She seems alright but I want to make her feel more welcome. I mean for a start, I don't think Lamb likes her very much". He sighed. "If only I could think of a name. Maybe then, she might warm up to us". Belldandy gave a sad smile.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that. It is up to you to decide on a name for her". Then she brightened. "However, I may be able to help you come up with something. What do you know about her?" Jago scratched his chin.

"Not much. She belonged to a Nightmare and she is supposed to be very adept at magic. That's about it". He scratched his chin again. "It's the Three Word Challenge" he said.

"What's that?" asked Belldandy.

"It's an old way of naming things. You have to choose three words that embody a person or object. For example, me" he said, pointing at himself. "I might be strong, hard and gentle. Strong because I am, I hard because I have had to become so and gentle because that's who I really am. Although, that's not to say I have any problem knocking a man's teeth out. You on the other hand" he said, pointing at her "I would say warmth, music and love". Belldandy smiled at this. Jago however was frowning. "My problem is, the three words that come to mind with my devil are beautiful, hard and sharp. Not an easy combination to pull a name from". Belldandy nodded sadly.

"I see" she said sadly. "I'm sorry, I can't think of anything that would fit that description". Then she brightened again. "Perhaps there is something that I can do that will help though!"

"What's that?"

"I can help work out your elemental affinity" Belldandy said.

"My what?" said Jago.

"Your affinity. Basically, all beings are aligned to one of four elements: earth, air, water and fire. Your affinity is whichever one you are most aligned to. In my case, I have an air affinity which I represent through the medium of wind. I was wondering whether the discovery of your affinity would help to lead us to your devil's name". Jago nodded.

"Alright" he said, "I'll give anything a go once".

"Then it's agreed!" said Belldandy and she called the two angels and the devil over. She quickly explained the plan to them.

"I have no intention of being imprinted by that lowly human" said the devil, crossing her arms. "However," she said "as I have no choice but to share his body, I suppose it would help to discover his affinity". The five of the gathered together and Belldandy and Holybell started to chant. A four sided star appeared, glowing on the floor and when they had finished chanting, they both turned to Jago and his Archs.

"Now you must place a stick vertically in the centre of the star and release it. Whichever person touched it last, their affinity will be shown by the direction that it falls. Jago nodded and pulled open his wardrobe, removing an ancient staff from behind his clothes. It was a staff of old rowan wood, as tall as he was and straight as a ramrod, with a small knob on the end. He had been given it by a friend when they had been exploring once and he had kept it for years. His "Hittin' Stick", as he called due to its ability to deter even the most drunk and confused student. Gingerly, he placed it in the centre of the star and then stepped back. To his surprise, it remained perfectly upright while Belldandy started to chant a few more lines. Slowly, the staff began to wobble and then it slowly teetered over, to land squarely between two points of the star. Belldandy gasped. "Why, this is most unusual" she said.

"Why, what does this mean?" Jago asked.

"Well, from the direction the stick has fallen, it would appear that you have a balanced affinity. That is, you have a rare spirit that has an equally powerful affinity to two elements. In this case fire and earth". Jago scratched his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you are equally capable in both fire and earth magic. More importantly, it means that you are one of the few who can master mixed spells".

"Mixed spells?"

"Spells of more than one element. In this case, spells that are a mix of fire and earth". Jago cocked his head.

"Fire and earth? You mean metals?" he asked.

"Yes" said Belldandy. "Most particularly the holy metal, _ebron horn_". Now that was a word that Jago recognised.

"That's old English" he said. "It means sky iron, doesn't it?"

"Yes" said Belldandy.

"So I have an affinity meteoric iron?"

"Yes".

"Well, I suppose that make sense" Jago said. "I mean, my family have been smiths for centuries. We owned the last water foundry in Britain". He grinned. "I guess you could say that iron is in my blood". He paused and thought for a second and then stood, running a hand along the books that lined his bookshelf. He eventually stopped and then pulled an old book from the shelf. "I wonder" he said, pulling it across his lap and starting to flick through it.

"What's that?" asked Belldandy causing Jago to look up.

"It's a book on metallurgy or ah, metal working" he said and turned back to his book, flicking through until he found the right page. He then ran his finger down it, pausing every now and then. The devil had since lost interest and was talking quietly with Holybell in the corner. Only Lamb could see what he was looking at. Jago finally stopped and pointed to a single word, before turning to her.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Well, it would certainly fit her personality" Lamb said. "And with those tattoos, she certainly looks like it". Jago grinned and shut the book.

"Then it's decided" Jago said. Belldandy beamed.

"So you have finally decided on a name for her?" she asked.

"Yes" Jago said and then called his devil over. He smiled at her. "I have decided on your name" he said. The devil crossed her arms, looking doubtful.

"I hope it's not something stupid and contentious" she said.

"No" he said simply. "My girl from now on you are no longer called "devil". You are now Damascus".

8888

The release of energy from the imprinting spell was far less powerful for Damascus than it had been for Astrakhan Lamb, probably because the devil had been more magically oriented than her angel counterpart. However, it was still enough to leave Jago feeling drained, doubly so as he had just received a fresh burst of memories and emotions from the new being. Then as fast as it had begun, it was over with Damascus hovering breathless in front of her new master.

"You have imprinted me" she finally said with distaste. "I suppose this means that we are now one" she said. Jago was about to speak when she raised a hand. "However," she said, "I will not call you Master. You may be my host but only one being has ever been my Master". Jago nodded.

"That's fair enough" he said. It was Belldandy's turn to speak now.

"I'm so pleased that you have found her a suitable name!" she said. "But why did you choose Damascus?"

"Damascus steel, lass" he said. "An almost legendary metal with a particular texture that resembled flowing water, similar in fact to those markings she has. Hard, sharp and beautiful. Damascus steel".

"You named me after a metal?"

"Yep", he said, "Seemed like a good idea at the time". He then shook his head and stood. "But now, we have work to do".

"What kind of work?"

"Well first of all, I need to get my stuff out of here. The problem is though, that I don't have anywhere to put it and I can't bring it with me to Japan".

"And why not?"

"Well, I don't have the money to move it" he said. "I don't suppose you have a money making spell do you?" he asked, jokingly.

"No" said Damascus.

"Thought not" said Jago and stood to finish packing his boxes.

"Maybe I can help" offered Belldandy. "I could shrink it down and take it back with me when we change shifts".

"I don't think so" he said. "It's a nice thought but I don't want you to use unnecessary power". He then paused and turned to Damascus. "What kind of spells do you know?" he asked her. Damascus looked disgusted.

"All of them! Demonic or heavenly".

"So you would have spell for say, working metal into any desired shape?" Damascus looked confused for a second but nodded.

"I suppose so. The problem is though, you wouldn't be able to use it".

"Why not?" he asked. The devil sneered.

"You don't have the stamina. At the moment, you would only be able to make small items. Nothing more than a few pounds".

"So then maybe I can help" said a voice and Astrakhan Lamb suddenly appeared. "I may only have access to a limited quantity of magic but I have excellent strength and stamina" she said. "With my help, Master should be able to create whatever he needs". Damascus glared at her but nodded.

"I suppose that could work" she said finally.

"Well then, show me the spell" Jago said. Damascus took a breath and closed her eyes, raising her hands.

"Morphing Matter!" she said and began to slowly trace her hands through the air. As she did so, a faint blue line followed her movements, until she stopped at which point the line collapsed, leaving a metal shape hovering in the air. "Just trace the shape of the object you wish to create in front of you with your hands, while keeping a clear image of it in your head. The object will then appear".

"Like this?" he asked and cast the spell, moving his hands, eyes closed to trace the outline of a long handled tool. As he did so, he felt a small but noticeable drop in his own strength since he had been relying on that rather than on Lamb. He completed the spell and opened his eyes, just in time to catch the twenty pound splitting maul before it fell. "Wow" he said. "Always wanted one of these". Both Damascus and Lamb were impressed. He may be strong and what he had just created was fairly large yet he had suffered only a minor drop in energy.

"Maybe I underestimated him" Damascus thought to herself, with a grunt. "He is stronger than he appears". Jago rolled his head slightly, cracking out a kink in his neck.

"Right then," he said, "for my next trick, I think we shall have to head outside".

"Why?" asked Damascus and Belldandy simultaneously.

"Well" said Jago, "do you know what a Unimog is?"

8888

The rest of the week went by relatively quickly. Jago officially dropped out of university and had used Lamb and Damascus's magic to put together a car so that they would be able to transport all of his worldly possessions to the temple. The plan was that they would meet up with Belldandy and Keiichi at Tokyo International Airport, in order to make their way to the temple, once they were in Japan. It was for this reason that the two were now sitting together in the spring sunshine, outside the arrivals gate of the terminal. Keiichi sighed. Jago's plane was late. Worse. He and Belldandy were not alone.

"So, tell me again why this guy has to move in with us" said Skuld as she sucked on an ice lolly.

"It's because" said Belldandy, "Mister Jago and his Archs are under the protection of Lind and Chrono at the moment. Because of this, he needs to be somewhere where they can keep a watch over him".

"I get that" Skuld said. "But I still don't understand why his has to move in. It's not like we have any more room as it is!"

"Don't worry" said Belldandy. "We will be fine. I am sure there will be enough space for us. Besides, I think that you might like him. He may not be as kind a Keiichi but I can sense that he is a good man".

"I just wish that his plane would get here" said Chrono, who had also tagged along.

"Don't worry. I am sure he will be here soon". It was then that Belldandy sensed him. She stood and looked skywards, staring intently at a patch of sky to the North-West. At last, she spotted what she was looking for and smiled. "Look, there he is!" she said, pointing. The other three looked at where she was pointing and they could see a speck, slowly moving towards the airport. Gradually, the sound of four massive turboprop engines began to build, deeper and less shrill than the shriek of a jet and the speck slowly materialised into a hulking C-130J cargo plane, painted in Royal Air Force colours. The big plane droned overhead and banked hard, before coming in to land at the nearest runway, where it taxied to an empty hangar and then parked up, cutting its massive engines. The four approached the plane just as the side door was opened and Jago stepped out, wearing a Nomex flight suit and helmet over his usual clothes. Belldandy smiled and waved. "Oh, Mister Jago!" she called to him, waving. He spotted her and waved back.

"Belldandy! Good to see you lass!" he boomed, his face cracking into a huge grin as he strode over to meet them, peeling off his helmet as he went and shaking his long, unruly hair free. He grasped Belldandy's hand in both of his huge paws and shook it warmly. "Nice to see you" he said. "How's life been treating you?"

"Very well thank you Mister Jago!"

"You can drop the mister if you want, you know" he said and then, still smiling he turned to the others. "Ah, this must be Keiichi!" he said and also took Keiichi's hand, again shaking it. Keiichi looked sheepish but shook back while rubbing his head and then said something that Jago didn't understand. Jago frowned for a second and then his face brightened in realisation and he stuck a finger of his spare hand in one ear and wiggled it a little. "Sorry! Forgot to turn my translation spell on!"

"That's alright" Keiichi said warmly, "It's good to finally meet you".

"Yeah, sorry I'm late" Jago said. "We had a bit of a problem getting the tanks refilled in Turkmenistan. But, we're here now". Keiichi scratched his head.

"Refill the tanks? You mean you flew that thing?" Jago turned to look at his massive plane and then looked back.

"Sure did" he said.

"Where did you learn that?" Keiichi asked, impressed.

"University air squadron" said Jago. "Never flown a bird that big before, but you gotta try everything once!"

He then spotted Skuld who up until this point had been hiding behind her big sister, terrified of this huge, hairy bear of a man. He bent over and extended his hand.

"And you must be Skuld" he said, smiling. Skuld backed away slightly. Jago looked concerned. "Don't worry" he said, dropping into a Devonshire accent, "I won't bite". The combination of Japanese in a Devonshire accent was funny enough for Skuld to giggle and she finally took his hand, shaking it lightly. At last, Jago turned to Chrono and held out his hand again. "I don't know you yet but I'm pleased to meet you" he said warmly.

"I'm Chrono" she replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Mistress Lind's apprentice". It should not have been possible for Jago to smile any wider but somehow he managed it.

"Chrono you say? That's grand that is!" he said. He then stopped and turned back to Belldandy. "Right then" he said, "I just have to sign off on some paperwork, get changed and get me cargo unloaded and then we can be on our way" he said. "Keiichi, if you bring your bike around, then we can load it in my truck when before we go".

8888

About twenty minutes later, Jago reappeared after having gone to get signed in. He had swapped his flight suit for a pair of old blue jeans, a faded t-shirt that had probably once been black but was now a dark grey and a denim jacket that was lined with a dark brown wool. In place of his pilot's helmet, he now wore a black Stetson with a brown leather band around its brim and with a metal badge attached to the front. The badge showed a rearing hose that had been chained to a miniature globe, while above it was a crown and the letters R.E.M.E. He to the others and then came striding over.

"All sorted" he said. "I am now officially living in Japan". He then clapped his hands. "Right then, let's get unloaded!" He led them over to the C-130 and climbed in through the side door, while they followed. The inside of the plane was surprisingly well lit but smelled a little of diesel and strongly of tarp awnings. In the centre of the plane sat a large, silver, off-road style truck with a hard back and double cab and a three-quarter ton trailer, both well strapped down. Jago walked alongside his truck and slapped one of the panels. "There's my baby!" he said, smiling. He turned to Keiichi. "What do you think?" he said.

"Well, for a start, what is it?" Jago smiled.

"It's a Unimog mate! To be precise, it's my custom Unimog U5000, the biggest version of the truck. Made by Mercedes, I've customised it with a super-lightweight body so that the weight has been dropped from about fifteen tons to about ten. I've also boosted the output of the turbo-diesel engine it uses from 218 horsepower to just over 300".

"Wow" said Keiichi. "It's impressive!" and he meant it.

"Thanks" said Jago. "But first we gotta get it off the plane". He turned to Belldandy and Chrono. "If you two wanna get started undoing the ratchets on the far side then Keiichi, Skuld and I will get these ones".

"Ok" said Belldandy and within a few minutes, the truck and trailer were free.

"Right, hop in" Jago said. As he moved to the rear of the plane, pulling a switch to open the planes rear cargo ramp. When he turned back, almost all of them except for Keiichi and Skuld had climbed in. Skuld was struggling to get her leg high enough to reach the short ladder that hung from the underside of the truck, while shouting at Keiichi who was trying to help her.

"Stop it Keiichi, I'm not some dumb kid!"

"I know Skuld. I'm just trying to help".

"Well I don't want your help! I can do this myself!" It was then that Jago walked up behind her and winked at Keiichi, before placing a hand under each of Skuld's armpits. "Huh?" she said and then with barely a grunt of effort, Jago lifted her smoothly off the ground and placed her on the top rung of the ladder. "Hey! What do ya think you're doing!" she shouted.

"Giving you a boost" he said and then turned away before she could retort. "Right…" he said to Keiichi, "Let's get that bike of yours". Keiichi disappeared for a second, while Jago rolled the truck down the ramp and out into the sunshine. He then jumped out as Keiichi came back around, pushing his bike.

"Well, here it is" he said, "but I'm not sure how we're gonna get it in you tuck?"

"Simple" said Jago and led Keiichi around the rear of the truck. He open the rear door, to reveal a large camper van style interior, with a clear patch surrounded by cargo hooks so that a bike could be stored in the rear.

"Ok, there's room" said Keiichi, "But I don't see how we can get it up into there! I mean my bike must weigh five-hundred pounds, not counting the side-car!" Jago didn't say anything. He simply bent down, grabbed the bike by its chassis and lifted it straight up and into the truck. He cracked his neck.

"I'd say closer to six-hundred" he said, "but I can still lift that".

"My god!" said Keiichi. "You must be incredibly strong!"

"Yeah, and?" said Jago. "Six-hundred is about me limit but it's doable". He then closed up the truck and head back inside the plane, only to return, pushing the trailer before him. A few minutes later, the trailer was hooked up and they were all securely fastened in the cab; Keiichi and Chrono in the back, while Skuld, Belldandy and Jago sat in the front. Jago started the ignition and the Unimog's engine roared into life and they gently began to roll away, quickly leaving the airport behind them. As they approached the main motorway out of the city, Jago rolled down his window and lit a cigarette, taking a drag. He then sat back and began to relax as they trundled along at a steady 80kph.

"So" said Belldandy, finally breaking the silence, "Tell us a little about yourself". Jago glanced across at her.

"What do you wanna know?" he asked.

"Well, tell us about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Three" he said. "Boy-girl twins, age fifteen, Bob and Mo and a little sister, age ten called Issy".

"You're the oldest?"

"Yep".

"So where are they now?"

"Bulgaria" he said. "My mum emigrated after we realised that we couldn't survive in Western Europe on my dad's pension. Not with the life we wanted. Then problems arose and now they live there on benefits and scratchings. I would help them if I could but it was hard enough surviving in England just on my own, without having to send money home".

"Oh, dear I'm sorry" said Belldandy, looking sad.

"Don't be" said Jago. "It's not your fault. At least now, I might get a job and I might finally be able to help them".

"That's very noble of you".

"Thank you".

"So, what about before now? Where did you grow up?"

"How about I just give you an abridged life history of myself? It would save a lot of time". Belldandy nodded, smiling.

"Ok" she said.

"Alright" said Jago. "I was born in Devon, in a little village called Sticklepath, in a house that was a thousand years old. I don't remember much about then except we had chickens and two cats called Jack and Small. My dad was a waster and my mum worked as a computer engineer for BAE".

"What's that?" asked Skuld.

"British Aerospace" said Jago. "She used to do avionics on the old Harrier jets".

"Really?" said Skuld, interested. "What kind of avionics?"

"Mostly engine performance. Her job was to test computer models for performance at extreme temperatures".

"That's awesome" said Skuld, temporarily losing her fear in the big man.

"Probably" said Jago. "Anyway, I can't remember when but eventually, my mum left my dad, good riddance and we moved to Slough, near London. I can't remember much about what happened next. My next memory was from when I was about four, when my mum married my step-dad, although to be honest, I call him dad because that's what he was to me. I remember the wedding vaguely and within a few weeks, we moved to Germany. Now I remember that well. The day we moved to Germany, was the first time I saw a swing-shovel". He saw there confused expressions. "Sorry, I don't know any other word for them. Their a kind of digger. Anyway, my dad was a corporal in the army at the time, a mechanic, part of the REME, which is why I wear this" he said, pointing to the badge on his hat. "It's my dad's unit badge. 1st Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. In the rear with the gear!" he chuckled and flicked his cigarette stub out the window. "Well, I was a lonely kid. Because good mechanics were in short supply, we moved house a lot and this meant changing schools a lot. Not many friends. And because we were all army kid's we were all pretty much in the same boat. I spent six years in Hameln, three years in Bielefeld, two years in Osnabruck, eighteen months in Gutersloh and two years in Munster. We never stayed in a house for more than a year. By the time I got to secondary school, I wouldn't stand most of the people I was around. All through my last six years of school, I only had one good friend. In the end we both moved. We lost touch. Last I heard, he had become the junior water-ski champion for Germany. After that, I went downhill fast. I became a bad guy. Not my proudest moment". He looked across at Belldandy who looked doubtful. "Believe me" he said, "I was real bad. I won't give details but if I had kept it up, I would be in prison by now. Then one day, about when I was sixteen, I suddenly went: What The Fuck Am I Doing!? I straightened myself out, did my GCSE's and then had to decide what to do with my life. At the time, I had two choices. My mum, after one move too many decided to emigrate, to somewhere where she could live the life she wanted. She took the kids with her. The plan was for my dad to do his last two years in the army and then follow her. I meanwhile had a choice: go with her and probably end up either a builder or real-estate agent in a country with an alphabet that looks like all the buttons you never press on a scientific calculator or do my A-Level's and then go to Uni. I chose A-Level's. In that time, I watched my family fall apart. I would come home some weekends from the army boarding school I was at and sometimes, my dad and I wouldn't exchange more than a dozen words. I think it was the promotion that got him. They made him a sergeant and stuck him behind a desk. I think that drove him mad. He was a man who worked with his hands. He held the record for the greatest number of vehicles fixed during NATO training ops in Canada. 96% fleet readiness. The previous record was barely 40%! And they stuck him behind a desk! He started buying cars. He bought an old blue Land Rover with the plan that we would fix it up and eventually he would give it to me. In the end, he ran it into the ground and he didn't seem to have the heart to fix it. He bought two more cars, an old Citroën and a Mitsubishi. They both broke down and never got fixed. In the end, he left the army, he left my mum and I haven't seen him since. In the mean-time, I did my first year of university, struggled through, hating the people I was with and spending every weekend drunk and alone". He chuckled. "That's probably why I don't get hangovers and I can drink lime vodka straight. Anyway, I dragged my way through to my second year with nothing to look forward to except a mountain of debt and little hope of a decent job when I left. I got a job as a splatter at a club and it helped because it meant I could take out my frustration on other people. You know, break some faces in! But still depressed. Hmm, but still put on a smile cause if you don't, the bastards would eat you alive. Joined the air squadron and earned my pilot's licence faster than any other student in all of history but I was told I was too fat to join the RAF. Pretty much gave up on everything. And then one day, out of the blue, whoosh! Crash, bang, wallop! I discover that gods, demons and everything else in between are all real! Not only that, but I now have two Arch's living with me. It gave me back my drive, my motivation. I got off my arse and did something with myself for the first time in years! Astrakhan Lamb and Damascus. The best two things that ever happened to me! I met Bell, Urd and Lind, quit my job, left Uni and now I'm here. My worldly possessions apart from my plane are all in either my trailer or my truck. That's it". He finally stopped.

"Wow" said Keiichi. "I thought I had problems. How old did you say you were?"

"Nineteen mate".

"Nineteen and you've been through all that! I'm surprised you didn't get your own goddess!"

"Fat chance mate!" Jago said, grinning. "You got Bell because you're a nice guy. I on the other hand am not. I am what you might call a vicious bastard".

"You're not" said Belldandy, a genuine look of concern on her face. "You may have a tarnished soul, but you have a good heart". Jago blushed.

"Ah. You've touched the cockles of my heart". Then he grinned. "Enough about me then. What about you guys? Do you know the song "My Old Man's A Dustman?"

8888

It was a much happier truck when they finally pulled up at the temple. They all laughed and smiled and at one point, Jago had endeavoured to teach them how to sing "My Old Man's A Dustman", with varying degrees of success, causing them all to bay with laughter. At last though, they arrived and they pulled into the drive to the rear of the complex. Jago was the last out, jumping down lightly from the high cab. It was decided that his stuff could stay in the truck until tomorrow, so he was carrying just an overnight bag. He then took a deep breath of the sweet, clear, blossom filled air.

"Yes" he thought. "This is good place". Urd met them at the door, smiling.

"Welcome home everyone!" she said and led them inside. They were all kicked off their shoes, while Jago swapped his boots for a pair of rubber sandals.

"Why are you wearing those? You're not supposed to wear shoes indoors" asked Skuld.

"Old habits" Jago said. "Bulgarian floors tend to be cold and if you drop something then chances are it will break. It doesn't matter how hard you try, you'll never get all those shards and if you get one in the foot its absolute agony". Then he smiled at her. "Don't worry; I have no intention of wearing them outside". He stood quickly and then followed them inside. Urd led them into the tea room, where Eir and Saga were waiting. Before Jago could enter the room, they rushed him and blocked the doorway.

"So this is the human who controls the Arch pair?" said one.

"Well, I can't say I'm very impressed!" said the other.

"He's fat!"

"He's hairy!"

"He looks a bit scary!" Then Jago rumbled in a deep voice.

"You don't know the half of it" he said with a grin.

"Now girls, leave Mister Jago alone" said Belldandy. "He's had a long day and I'm sure he could do with some rest". With this, the twins reluctantly retreated and sat down behind the table. Belldandy then spoke to Jago, "Come Mister Jago, please come and sit with us!" He did so. They all sat in awkward silence for a while, with the goddesses staring intently at Jago. Eventually, Belldandy broke the silence. "Why don't I go and make some tea?" she asked brightly. "Could you help me please Keiichi?" she said. She stood and left, with Keiichi following close behind. The room remained awkward.

"So…" Jago eventually said.

"Can we see them?" asked Skuld, suddenly bursting.

"What?"

"Can we see them? The Archs?" Jago grinned.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours". Skuld blushed slightly. Then nodded.

"Ok. But you go first".

"Fair enough" said Jago. He closed his eyes. And then he whispered, "Come on out girls". The two Archs materialized behind him. "Allow me to introduce them" Jago said. He held up his right hand. "This is Damascus". He held up his left. "This is Astrakhan Lamb. Now it's your turn". Skuld was still blushing but she had agreed and she summoned her angel.

"This is Noble Scarlet" she said nervously, eyeing Damascus who was giving a particularly malevolent glare. Lamb however floated forward and hugged the younger angel.

"Pleased to meet you" she said. Noble Scarlet was slightly taken aback but she returned the hug and then they broke apart, smiling.

"It is an honour to meet one so powerful" she said, bowing slightly.

"The honour is mine" said Lamb. "Just please don't be so formal". Noble Scarlet blushed.

"I am sorry, Mistress Astrakhan Lamb".

"Just Lamb if you please". Noble Scarlet beamed.

"Thank you Mistress Lamb" she said, bowing again.

"My, aren't you a quiet one" said a new voice in a rich, upper-class accent. The assembled beings turned to see World of Elegance who had emerged from Urd and who was now addressing Damascus. Damascus grinned, showing her fangs and folding her arms.

"I have nothing in particular to say. So why waste my breath saying it?" World of Elegance nodded, smiling slightly.

"Touché" she said.

The devil then turned her attention to Noble Scarlet and she drifted closer, until her face was just a few inches from hers making her back away slightly.

"This one on the other hand". She licked her lips. "I might have words to say for her! She sure does look sweet and tender!" She then snarled, baring her teeth and mock lunged at her, making her scrabble away to take cover behind her mistress. Simultaneously, Lamb moved in front of Damascus, in order to protect her new friend from the devil.

"Hey, none of that" Jago said, his voice suddenly stern.

"Come on, I was just kidding! I wouldn't really eat her!" The devil backed away and took a seat next to Jago, a wicked smile playing across her face.

"I want you to apologise" Jago suddenly said.

"What?"

"I said, I want you to apologise".

"Why? And for what?"

"To answer your first question, because it does not pay to upset our hosts. For the second, for scaring Noble Scarlet". The devil growled but she then saw the look on Jago's face, so stern it would have turned Medusa to stone. They glared at one-another for a long minute. Eventually though, the devil sighed.

"Alright! I'm sorry for scaring you" she said. "Happy now?"

"Better" said Jago and he grinned apologetically at Skuld and Noble Scarlet who were now peeking out from behind Lamb's wings. "Sorry about her" he said. "She ain't easy to control".

"It's ok" Skuld said finally. It was at that moment that Belldandy and Keiichi reappeared.

"Oh my!" said Belldandy. "I see that you have met Jago's Archs then!" she said smiling. She set the tea down on the table and summoned forth her Holybell. "As I can see that all of our angels are out, why don't we make this an angel's tea party?" she asked happily.

"Sounds good" said Lamb who was smiling but who still refused to take her eyes of Damascus.

"In that case, I better get some more cups" said Keiichi and he stood to leave.

"Wait a second!" Jago said and he pulled his overnight bag to himself. He flipped it open, rummage around and then withdrew what appeared to be a long metal tube but when unscrewed, was revealed to be a series of battered tin mugs. As the tea was being poured, he went back into his bag and withdrew a packet of biscuits which he opened and placed on the table. World of Elegance picked up a pair, handing one to Urd and turned hers over in her hands.

"What is this?" she asked.

"You never seen a Jammy Dodger before?" asked Jago, picking a biscuit.

"No. How am I supposed to eat this?"

"Well personally" Jago said, "I would do this" and he dunked it half in his tea, leaving it just long enough. The angel then tried this, nibbling her biscuit. She smiled. It may be lower class but it was good! Pretty soon, they were all enjoying tea and dunked Dodgers, so much so that Jago had to open another packet. That was, all except Damascus. She sat there, eyes closed, ignoring the mini-party that was going on around her. That was until Lamb poked her. She opened one eye.

"Master told me to give you this" she said, with obvious distaste, holding out a mug of tea and a biscuit. She closed her eye.

"No thank you" she said. A few minutes late, she was poked again. She opened an eye.

"Master insists".

"Not interested" she said, closing the eye.

She was poked again. She opened her eye. To her surprise, it was World of Elegance who was now holding the tea and biscuit.

"My Mistress thought you might want to try this". The devil sighed.

"If I eat this stupid biscuit, will you people leave me alone?" World of Elegance turned towards the others, then turned back and nodded.

"Very well then" Damascus said. She dunked her biscuit and then ate it. Her face lit up. It was an epiphany. JAMMY DOGERS AND TEA! They almost had to hold her back as she fought to get to the last few biscuits. Belldandy and Holybell laughed, finding the site of a biscuit craved devil amusing. It was just then the phone rang.

"I'll get it" she said and left. A few minutes later she returned, her face awash with smiles. The others saw her face.

"What's the news?" asked Urd. "With a smile that big, I should hope that Mara has been turned into a caterpillar!" she asked, half joking.

"No" said Belldandy. "Lind is coming back!"

8888

It was few minutes later that Lind materialised. She descended just in front of the temple, where the others were waiting for her.

"Lind, it's so good your back!" Belldandy said.

"It's good to be back".

"So, how did it go?" asked Urd.

"Not well" said Lind sadly, although her face remained locked in its customary unreadable expression. Belldandy's face instantly changed to a look of concern.

"Why, what happened?" she asked.

"I'll explain shortly" said Lind. "But first, I think we should head inside as it may take a while".


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Crash Palace**

"WHAT!?" shouted Keiichi. "You were kicked out of the Valkyries!?"

"Yes" said Lind. "Because of my failure to secure Lamb, as well as other failures, I have permanently removed from the Valkyrie units". She sighed. "On top of this, I am currently confined to Earth".

"That's awful" said Belldandy. Lind gave her a weak smile.

"It's ok" she said. "I have at least been allowed to retain the use of my power. However" and she pulled aside a lock of her hair, revealing several gold circlets, "they have now been severely limited. So now, I am officially a civilian goddess with no chance of employment in the foreseeable future. Currently though, I have been told to remain near Jago to keep an eye on him and the Archs. I may not be a Valkyrie but I must still continue my final duty".

"Oh Lind, I'm so sorry" Jago said, looking down. "This is all my fault. Because of me, you lost your job and your home". Lind looked at him, staring hard. She was looking for his aurar. She wanted to know if this person who had brought her happiness for a brief moment and then so much sadness was truly sorry. She then spotted it: it was blue and grey with sadness and guilt. She gave a smile. He truly was sorry.

"It's ok" she said to him. "I have been in worse situations than this. I suppose that I will just have to make the best of it". Jago lifted his head, looking straight at her and he gave a sad smile.

"That's the spirit" he said, quietly. "Nil illegitimus carborundum".

"Sorry?"

"Don't let the bastards grind you down!" This earned him a proper smile from Lind, one of her rare ones that seemed to light up her face light a pinball machine that has just awarded a bonus game.

"Thank you" she said, quietly.

"It's alright" he said. He then stood. "I gotta get some stuff out my truck for tonight" he said, "Keiichi; you wouldn't mind lending me a hand would you?"

"Not at all" said Keiichi and they both left.

"Well, in that case, I had better start getting dinner ready" said Belldandy. "Lind; would you like to help me?" she asked. Lind nodded and followed her. The others were left in silence for a while.

"Well this sucks" said Chrono.

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Belldandy and Lind made their way to the kitchen, where Belldandy had been planning to make poached sole for dinner. While she was preparing the fish, she had Lind chopping the vegetables. For a while, they were silent except for Belldandy who was humming gently to herself. However, she eventually turned to Lind.

"Lind".

"Yes?"

"I know that what you said wasn't entirely true". Lind stopped chopping for a second.

"You noticed".

"Yes. You couldn't quite meet Jago's eyes when you spoke to him". Lind laid her knife down and sighed.

"I didn't want him to feel that it was his fault that I was dismissed. Not after I realised that he was truly sorry. He warned me not to try and keep up with him".

"So what I saw that night-"Belldandy began and then stopped, blushing furiously. Lind turned to her sharply, also blushing.

"You saw that?" she asked. Belldandy nodded. "Well, I thought I sensed your presence but I couldn't be sure". She turned away. "And as you know, a Valkyrie must remain a maiden. Otherwise, she may become distracted from her duties".

"Oh, Lind!" Belldandy said and threw her arms around the older goddess. Lind took a step back. But then hugged Belldandy back.

"It's ok" she said. "I may no longer be a Valkyrie but I still have my friends. Who knows? I may even like living on the surface world". Belldandy broke contact and they went back to preparing the meal. After a while, Lind spoke again.

"When you are with Keiichi, what is it that you feel?" she asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"When I'm around Jago, I feel funny. It gets hard to breath. My heart races. I smile more. Is this what happens when you are around Morisato? And why do I feel like this?" She flung down her knife in frustration, the blade becoming embedded in the stone of the countertop. "Why is it that this man I barely know, has the power to make me feel this way? I should be angry! I should be trying to kill him! Yet, whenever he's around, it makes me happy. Is this normal? Why haven't I felt like this before?" she turned and faced Belldandy, tears in her eyes. "WHY?!" Belldandy turned to her and hugged her again.

"I'm sorry Lind. This is something you must work out for yourself. But if it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way around Keiichi as you do around Jago". Lind stepped back and dried her eyes.

"Thank you Belldandy" she said. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Keiichi leaned around the frame and stuck his head in.

"Sorry" he said, "Is this a bad time?" Lind cleared her throat and shook her head.

"No, it's ok" she said.

"What's the matter Keiichi?" asked Belldandy.

"Well, Jago said it would be best if he could get his house built before dinner, so that he would have somewhere to sleep tonight. The problem is, he said that there probably wasn't enough room actually at the temple site and he needs some advice on where to put it".

"Tell him I will be right there" said Belldandy. "We just have put dinner in the oven on a low heat and then we will be right there".

"Nice one!" said Jago, sticking his own head around the frame, then turned to Keiichi. "Come on you" he said, "Let's go find me shovel". Keiichi groaned.

"Why do I have a feeling that I'm not gonna like this?"

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A while later, Belldandy was leading the group out of the temple grounds and into the woods behind the building. Jago walked close behind, a shovel slung over one shoulder and a small sapling over the other, humming gently to himself. Behind him, the rest of the temple residents followed, with Keiichi and Urd bringing up the rear. Skuld who was currently in the middle of the group was smiling wickedly, a fact that was not lost on Keiichi.

"So tell me exactly what's going on with her?" he said.

"Well, Jago said that he would need to have his house finished by dinner time and Skuld said that it would be impossible, even with magic. So now they have a bet on. He bet her his car against her stock of ice-cream that he could have it finished before dinner. She said she was going to take great pleasure in taking his car apart for what Damascus did to Noble Scarlet".

"Wow. You know, I get the feeling that she hasn't thought this through. Why else would he bet his car for ice-cream? Unless he is just extremely reckless, which I doubt".

"I have to agree. We may not know him very well but he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would enter into some kind of wager without prior thought". Urd smiled. "At least this should be interesting" she said. Meanwhile, at the front of the group Belldandy was talking animatedly with Jago.

"So what kind of house were you planning?" she asked.

"Nothing fancy" he said. "A cottage I think. Two rooms plus a bathroom, cellar, attic and kitchen".

"Why a kitchen?"

"Well, I'll have to do some of my own cooking. I mean, with Lamb and Damascus around, I have to eat nearly six-thousand calories a day. So it wouldn't be fair on you to have to cook for effectively three more people". He scratched his head. "Plus, I tend to eat breakfast alone for preference. Let's me get my head on straight". He paused for a second. "You wouldn't happen to know what kind of bedrock we're on, do you?" he asked.

"No, sorry" Belldandy said.

"Ah, well" Jago said. "That's why I brought this" he said, hefting his shovel.

"Why?" asked Belldandy. "Is the bedrock important?"

"To me it is" Jago said.

"Oh". Belldandy thought for a moment. "Why are you carrying a tree?" she asked.

"It's a linden tree" he said. "Traditionally, you're supposed to plant a tree when you build a new house".

"Oh, that's wonderful!" said Belldandy. She paused again. "Was there anything in particular that you wanted for your house? Any particular location?" Jago nodded.

"A river. Or at least some flowing water". Belldandy nodded.

"Then I know just the place!" she said, happily. They walked on for a few hundred yards, until at last they came to a clearing in the wood. It was fairly spacious, a couple of hundred feet across, with a small river flowing through one half of it. "Would this place be suitable?" asked Belldandy. Jago nodded.

"Looks good" he said.

"So now what?" asked Lind. Jago shrugged.

"I choose a good spot and dig". He walked across the clearing, occasionally stopping and holding up his thumb so he could get a measure of his surroundings. At last, he stopped and began to dig. He didn't do much, just enough to uncover a few stones which he picked up and then took over to the river to wash. Once cleaned, he set the stones out in front of him and began to inspect them, muttering as he did so.

"Uh Urd, what's he doing?" Keiichi asked. Urd shrugged.

"I'm no expert but I think he's doing geology".

"Geology?"

"Yeah. I think he's working out what kind of rocks there are around here".

"Why?"

"Beats me". At last Jago stood and tossed his pile of stones into the stream.

"Sandstone mostly. Good growing soil but little building rock". He sighed. "Ah well, needs must". He crossed back over to the group. "Right" he said, "I'm gonna need some help. Does anyone here know a timber crafting spell?" Belldandy nodded.

"It's not my speciality but I can do it" she said.

"Right then" Jago said. He pulled a tape-measure out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I'll build the structure but I don't think I'll have the strength to build the roof, not after the spell I'm planning. So I need some roof beams. Is that alright?" he asked. Belldandy nodded happily.

"Yes!"

"Добре" Jago said and then turned away from the group. "I'm gonna need you to stand back. I don't know how well this is going to go and I don't want people getting hurt". He then shook out his arms and cracked his knuckles, before closing his eyes. "Astrakhan Lamb, Damascus, I need your help" he said and the two appear behind him.

"Master?" Lamb said.

"I need your strength and Damascus's magic" he said. He turned back to the clearing and the three of them stated to work, eyes closed, moving in perfect unison and humming softly. They began to glow and the air became electric with the build-up of magic. Then they began to chant. Damascus and Lamb sang in perfect unison, a spell of life and creation, while Jago backed them with his deep bass voice. Light seemed to drain from the clearing, leaving the three singing in unison, illuminated by their own light. And then, just as suddenly as they had begun, they stopped. Jago then raised his arms and mimed lifting something. The Earth began to shake and loud rumble could be heard.

"What the hell is happening?" asked Keiichi, clearly terrified.

"It's ok" said Lind, laying a hand on his shoulder. "They have created their house out of bedrock and now they are bringing it to the surface".

"They're what!?" shouted Keiichi but went quiet as the building slowly began to appear. It was single story and made of a single chunk of hewn granite and with a last rumble, it finally appeared form the earth. Saga whistled.

"So that's the power of an Arch? They made a house without any difficultly!"

"Yes" said Eir clearly impressed. Jago then turned to Lamb.

"How you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm ok Master. The spell used much less energy than I thought it would".

"Good, good" Jago said and then turned to the group. "Sorry Bell" he said, "Gonna roof this bugger myself". Belldandy nodded happily.

"Ok Mister Jago!"

Jago turned back to the house, began to raise his arms and then stopped.

"Could I have my tape-measure back?" he said and Belldandy handed it to him. "Thanks" he said. "Now where was I? Oh yes!" and he began to perform a new spell. They watched in fascination as he slowly began to move, tracing the lines of long beams and rafters. The huge baulks of timber materialised in front of him and slowly floated over to the house, where they slotted themselves into slots that appeared to have been carved into the stone, while leaving space around the chimney. Following them, came a huge pile of slate tiles which laid themselves in lines along the lines on the timber superstructure, at which point hundreds of long steel nails appeared and hammered themselves into the slates, holding them in place. Without a pause, Jago began work on an oak floor, followed by a heavy oak and iron door and a full set of windows. Finally, Jago gave a grunt and muttered to himself; "Now for some furniture". It took a more minutes but eventually he stopped. All three of them; Jago, Lamb and Damascus were clearly exhausted from the effort. However, Jago and Lamb were smiling, clearly pleased with what they had achieved. Only Damascus remained stern, barley even glancing at the building. Jago and Lamb turned to the group and mad their announcement.

"The house is finished" said Lamb. "Time for a tour?"

"Not yet" said Jago, "One last job".

"Master?"

"Aye" said Jago and he pulled a large horseshoe and a from one pocket and a long nail form another. He walked up to the house, carrying them and his shovel and then using the shovel to nail the horseshoe just above the door.

"Why did he do that?" Keiichi asked.

"I can hear you, you know" Jago said. "But to answer your question, an iron horseshoe above the door keeps away bad spirits".

"But won't that be bad for Damascus?" Keiichi asked. Jago paused.

"Dunno, let's find out". He entered, followed by Lamb and then Damascus. Nothing happened so it was probably alright. "Ok guys, I think we have time for a grand tour. Oh and Skuld? You owe a butt load of ice-cream!"

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It was now several hours later. After a quick tour of the house, Keiichi had helped move Jago's things from the truck to the house while Belldandy had gotten dinner ready. Dinner was eventful to say the least, with Lamb and Damascus almost coming to blows over the last piece of fish and with Chrono almost passing out after trying Jago's extremely hot "Wow Wow Sauce" (*1).

After dinner, Jago had brought out a deck of cards and had challenged all comers to a game of poker. It was a great evening, with much hilarity, especially when World of Elegance and Damascus had got into a drinking contest with Jago's bottle of strong vodka and they both ended up sitting in the corner, roaring drunk and singing dirty limericks. Eventually though, Belldandy announced that since it was late and she and Keiichi needed to be at work the next day, they had all better be heading off to bed. Jago was the last to leave, giving them a wave as he stumbled off with his angels in tow. Belldandy waved back and closed the door, before sitting down next to Keiichi.

"Well, what do you think of him?" she asked.

"He seems nice. A bit crude and a bit rough maybe. But a nice person. Astrakhan Lamb is ok as well. But I'm not sure about Damascus. She seemed a bit aggressive to me".

"I think that it was probably an act" said Belldandy.

"Really?"

"Yes. Think about it. She has been taken from her mistress and is now having to live with someone who is basically a stranger. She's scared and lonely".

"I never thought of that" said Keiichi. "Maybe we should do something for her to make her feel more welcome?"

"I agree" said Belldandy smiling. "But I think that we should sort it out in the morning".

"Never argue with a goddess" Keiichi said and he stood. "Night Bell" he said.

"Goodnight Keiichi" said Belldandy. Keiichi quietly made his way to his room, so as not to disturb anyone. Just as he was pulling his door, a slight movement caught his attention. He turned his head and was just in time to see Lind, clad in a long white night-gown stealthily close the door to Chrono and her's shared room before making her way outside.

"Now where is she going?" he thought to himself but then shrugged and stepped inside, deciding to ask her tomorrow. "I just hope she can adapt to a new life here on Earth".

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Jago flumped down on his bed utterly exhausted.

"What a day" he said and he kicked off his boots. "Well, I guess that we will just have to see what tomorrow brings" he said as he clambered under the covers and flicked of his light. He had only been in bed for a few minutes when he heard a knock at his front door. He sighed. "Hello?" he said and then sighed again as no answer came. He crawled out of bed and tugged on his worn blue dressing gown that he had hung on the back of the door. There was another knock at the door. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" he said and he opened the door, grumbling. To his surprise, it was Lind who was stood on the porch in an almost see-through white nighty and he smiled when he saw her. "Lind! What you doing here at this time of night?"

"I'm sorry" she said. "I just really needed to talk to you. Can I come in?" Jago stepped aside.

"Be my guest" he said and she entered, while he shut the door behind her. "Take a seat" he said, "I'll make some tea". Lind glanced around the room. It was fairly large, with a wood burning stove in one corner and a TV in the other. Between the two was dining table and a set of chairs large enough to seat ten people and a sofa and armchair. She took a seat on the sofa and waited patiently until Jago reappeared, carrying two mugs of tea. He handed one to her and then he sat down opposite her, turning the armchair towards her. "So, what's on your mind?" he asked.

"I want to talk about that night".

"Which night?" Lind sighed.

"You know, that night". Jago winced.

"Ah you mean that night that you and me….?"

"Yes". He winced again.

"Alright" he said. "I'll go first". He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry".

"What?"

"I know I said it earlier but I wanted to be sure that you understood. I am truly sorry. If it weren't for my interfering, you would still have a job and a home. Thanks to me, you have lost everything". Lind sighed.

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about".

"What?" asked Jago, looking confused.

"Jago" she said, "I came to thank you". Jago spluttered, nearly choking on his tea. He managed to swallow it but then had to spend a few minutes coughing, before he could speak again.

"I'm sorry?" he finally managed.

"I said that I came to thank you" she said. "Before I met you, my life was devoted to my duty. Even after the incident with the Angel-Eater, I was still focused on my work as a Valkyrie. Because of you and your Archs, I am now free to do what I choose". She smiled at him.

"But what about your life? Your position? Because of me, you may never be able to return to Heaven". Lind shrugged.

"True" she said, "But to be honest, this may be a good thing".

"How's that?" She sighed.

"I thought it would be obvious. Even to you. My whole life as a Valkyrie, I trained to become the best, the most powerful, just so I could meet my other angel. I achieved that. So now, what was I supposed to do with myself? My choices were basically remain a Valkyrie and never receive any proper challenge until the day my powers fail me and I was killed in combat or join the Praetorians and spend my days guarding diplomats and informants, until I was slowly bored to death. What you did has given me a new lease of life. I may not be as strong as I was but now, I am free to live my own life as I choose. I am eternally grateful". She set down her mug and gently laid a hand across his knee. "Jago, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me" she said and then she leaned forward and kissed him. He was taken by surprise but finally, he returned her kiss. Eventually they broke contact and sat back.

"To be honest Lind, before you there was no much reason for me to live. I think that so long as we are together, we will be alright. And while I don't know whether we will ever fall in love, I certainly know that you mean more to me than just about anyone else in the world".

"_Hey_" said Lamb from inside Jago, but he could tell she was joking.

"_Sorry_" he thought back sheepishly. That night he and Lind made love again and they knew that so long as they were together, the world would be a better place. Or at least, that's what they thought.

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Lind was gone by morning. She had left while it was still dark, so she wasn't caught by any of the residents at the temple although she promised to be back that evening. Not that Jago minded. He was pretty sure that Belldandy had seen them the first time, when they she had come to change shifts with Lind but he was pretty sure that she would keep quiet about it. And he was pretty sure that the others would eventually find out what was going on, not that he minded. But Lind, despite her new outlook, wanted it to remain a secret from the others for as long as possible. It was nothing personal. It was just that she wasn't good with people. He smiled to himself as he felt a ray of sun gently cross his face. Come to think of it, he wasn't good with people either. He sighed sleepily to himself and pulled himself into a seated position, before lighting a cigarette. Breakfast was quiet for him. He made porridge and tea and sat at his table, flicking though a copy of Land Rover Owner International. He also made breakfast for Lamb and Damascus and that sat eating quietly, eyeing each other across the table. This was how breakfasts were now for him. As there was no way he would ever be able to eat enough to support all three of them, needing a total of nearly six-thousand calories per day, they were required to share all meals that he did. It was a pain but so long as they were alone, it was fine. If only they would stop fighting.

"Ah well, beggars can't be choosers I suppose" he thought. After breakfast, the three of the made their way up to the main temple building, where they met Belldandy and Keiichi who were just heading out to work. "Mornin" he said smiling.

"Good morning" said Belldandy happily. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock" Jago said. "So where are you two off too then?"

"We have to go to work. We'll be back later, ok?"

"Alright, take care then!" he said and they disappeared in a cloud of BMW engine smoke. "Now what?" he thought. "What am I going to do all day?"

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The day dragged on. By lunch time Jago had watched TV, dug a vegetable garden outside of his house, planting beans, sweet corn, pumpkins, carrots and potatoes as well as some pansies and other flowers and had almost finished chopping the several tons of timber that was needed to keep the houses warm and the timber fired ovens lit. It was then that Skuld came out. She had been working on a new device but had been interrupted by the constant sound of chopping and grunting. Eventually she had had enough and decided to investigate. As she rounded the corner of the house, she came upon the extraordinary sight. Jago was standing topless, wiping his face with the back of one gloved hand while holding the massive twnety pound splitting maul that he had created the week before. Meanwhile, Astrakhan Lamb and Damascus were busy carrying split logs over to the growing pile that was up against the house. Skuld cleared her throat, catching Jago's attention.

"Hey there Skuld!" he said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing " she said, blushing. "I was just wondering what all the noise was". Jago grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, did I disturb you?"

"Yeah but its ok. I needed a break anyway". She took a step towards the man. "So what exactly are you doing?" Jago shrugged.

"Just splitting some logs" he said.

"Why?" He shrugged again.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time. Bored out of my mind so I thought I would do something I enjoy". Skuld looked shocked. Jago nodded.

"It may not look like much but it's actually a lot of fun. It gives me time with my thoughts. Plus" he said and he bent down, curling his arm slightly, "check this out". Skuld looked unsure.

"Don't worry, I won't bite" he said. "Just give it a squeeze". Skuld did. She was surprised. What she felt was that under the layer of fat that covered his body, was a set of muscles that would have done a Valkyrie proud. She let go and he winked at her. "Keeps me strong" he said and then he stood and turned back to the pile. "Well back to work" he said and hefted his maul, swinging it hard and slitting a large oak log with one blow. Skuld cleared her throat again.

"Can I try?" she asked. Jago turned to her, looking confused but nodded.

"If you want. Not sure this is quite your thing but you can try" he said and passed her the maul. Skuld gasped and her knees nearly buckled. It was really heavy! And this man had just handed it to her with one hand? She struggled to lift the maul and then positioned herself to split one of the logs. She raised the maul above her head, both hands on its base and prepared to swing. "Not like that!" Jago said, catching hold of it before she could swing. "You'll knacker your back if you use it that way! Here, let me show you". He took the maul, holding one hand near the base and one almost at the head. He then hefted it over his right shoulder and then suddenly swung down hard, sliding his hand down the haft to the base as he went and allowing the maximum amount of force to be brought to bare through the massive head. He struck the log and the maul passed cleanly though, burying itself in the much larger log he was using as a chopping block. He turned back to Skuld, pulling it free with one hand and handed it to her. "Try that" he said. Skuld copied him exactly and felt and satisfying crunch as she split the log on her first swing. She smiled.

"Wow! This is fun!" she said, beaming. "Can I do some more?" Jago nodded.

"Knock yourself out" he said smiling. Skuld smiled back and then turned to the small pile of unchopped logs. After about twenty, she was tired and had worked up a sweat but she felt amazing. This was something she enjoyed! And for once, it didn't involve machines! But then Jago called a halt. "Sorry lass, gotta call it a day now" he said.

"Ah, but why?" Skuld whined. Jago pointed.

"No more logs!" he said, pointing.

"Ah! And I was just staring to enjoy myself to!"

"You and me both" Jago said.

"What do you mean?" asked Skuld.

"Well, if I am to remain sane, I need a project. Something that takes a while to do but that I enjoy and that I can keep doing". He scratted his head. "I mean usually, I would take days to chop all this wood but now I have Lamb and Damascus, I've gotten efficient and now I can jobs like this done in no time at all". Skuld nodded.

"You do have a problem don't you". She thought for a second. "Why don't you help me with my inventions? I could always do with an assistant!" Jago shook his head.

"A nice thought but no". Skuld's face fell. "Sorry, it's not you it's me. I'm just no good with machines". Then he had a flash of inspiration hit him. "However, am good at making things. So why don't I make things of metal? Become a blacksmith!" Skuld looked curious.

"A blacksmith? Are you sure?

"Why not? I mean, I have had some training in metal working and with my apparent affinity to metal; I can cover any gaps in my knowledge. Especially if my girls help me. Blacksmith, filigree worker, watchmaker. Yes, this might work!" He looked at Skuld. "I mean think about it; it gives me something and I can use it to make money. And if you help me, I can provide you with all the parts you need for your devices, custom made so you don't have to keep cannibalising all of Keiichi''s electronics". Skuld finally nodded.

"Alright, this sounds like a plan" she said. But then Lamb came over.

"While I like the sound of this idea and I think it would be fun, I don't see how we can afford this. I mean, Keiichi and Belldandy have no money and we spent all of ours to get here". Jago thought about his and his face fell.

"I hate it when someone injects logic into my plans" he said.

"Sorry Master" Lamb said, looking sad. Jago sat down hard on his chopping stump, chin in his hands.

"It's alright lass" he said. "Stupid idea anywho".

"Well maybe not" said a voice. They all turned to look and see had just spoken and they realised it was Damascus.

"What do you mean, _Damascus_?" Lamb said, looking stern.

"Well, you say we need money and we can't make any without spending it?" Lamb nodded. "Well, what would be the quickest way to make money?" They all shrugged and Damascus sighed. "We gamble it!" She waited until the storm of noise that followed her statement had subsided. Even Noble Scarlet had appeared and had voiced her dislike for the plan. Only Jago had remained silent, considering things. At last, Damascus was able to speak: "I don't mean _gamble_ gamble" she said. "I mean, use what money we have to finance a venture that we can be sure that we can win. Something that would play right into our skill sets".

"What did you have in mind?" asked Jago. Damascus grinned her toothy grin.

"Underground fights" she said.

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It was now the late afternoon. Jago was driving his truck through the back streets of Nekomi, searching for the Crash Palace. It was Urd who had told them about the place. She occasionally visited the place if the day had been particularly stressful and she needed to let off some steam by watching grown men beat each-other into bloody pulps. Crash Palace was the city's underground fight club, the one where the most blood was spilled. It was the place where those men who were strong, stupid, brave or desperate enough had the chance of earning a year's wages in one night. And the plan was for Jago to fight there. After hearing out Damascus's plan, which was to bet Jago's last few dollars on an undercard fight and then bet the winnings on more fights, they all agreed that while it was risky, it was probably the only way that they were going to be able to raise the necessary cash quickly. And so, they had called Lind and Urd to the table.

"I don't know about this Jago" said Lind. "Those bikers were one thing but we're talking about the baddest of the bad! You may be strong and you may be a good fighter but there's no grantee that you will win! I've heard about these places! They sometimes kill people!" Urd meanwhile sat quietly.

"I say he should do it. If he is really that desperate for money then what could he have to lose?"

"Urd!" said Lind, her voice barely restrained.

"I'm just saying, if he needs money, he should at least give it a try. I mean, Lamb was a Praetorian right?" Jago nodded. "Well then, when he imprinted with her, he probably picked up some of her fighting skills. It should give him an edge". Lind was still unconvinced.

"How exactly are we going to finance this?" she asked. "As you said, we have no money. So how are we going to bet on a fight?"

"I've got that covered" Jago said and he reached into the back of his mouth and began waggling one of his teeth. After a few seconds, he stopped. "Come on you!" he said and he punched himself hard in the jaw, before reaching back into his mouth and trying again. After about a minute he gave up and with a sigh, he pulled his mora from his belt and pushed the tip into his mouth. He then wiggled it a little and with a grunt and crunch, he flicked one of his teeth free of his mouth. He caught it and then held it up to the light. It was odd. There was no root and it seemed slightly translucent. He turned it over and tapped it hard in his hand, knocking something out of it. It was a diamond. A small diamond. Now they understood. He kept a diamond in a false tooth in case he ever needed a bit of spare cash. He handed it to Urd. "Will that cover it he asked?" Urd took the diamond and nodded.

"Let's get you a fight!" she said. Since then, they had all loaded themselves into Jago's Unimog. Even Eir, Saga and Chrono were there, wanting to see what all the fuss was about.

"I still don't like this" said Lind. She had since changed from her Valkyrie uniform into the clothes she had worn when she and Jago had gone drinking, including Jago's black leather jacket. Jago looked across at her.

"To be honest, I'm not totally happy about this either. But there's no other way for us to raise the kind of scratch we need in such a short space of time. Besides" he said, grinning, "I have Heaven on my side". Lind grinned at this and then went back to staring out the window. Eventually they found it. Crash Palace was located within an old, rundown warehouse in the rough side of town. Jago pulled up and they climbed out, making sure that the truck was securely locked before entering. They entered through a crowd and they struggled to stay together. In the end they gave up. Skuld, Chrono, Eir and Saga set off to the ring with intention of securing some seats while Urd went off to organise the fight. This left Jago and Lind alone together in the preparation area. Quietly, Jago turned to Lind and he took her to one side. He began to whisper to her. "Listen" he said, "I didn't want the others to know but I am bloody worried about this. If I lose, that's it. We're done. So I need you to help me. He handed her a silk handkerchief and then pulled his mora from his belt, also handing it to her.

"What do I need these for?" she said. Jago leaned closer.

"I'm gonna be up against some pretty tough customers and I'm gonna need some advantages. I need you up against the ring. You see, there are no weapons aloud when you enter but anything that enters the ring after the fight starts is ok to use. The handkerchief is a distraction. The knife is just in case. If I walk over to you, you hand me the cloth. If I say knife me, toss the knife in. It may save my life. Can you do that?" he asked. Lind simply nodded. It was then that Urd came bouncing over.

"Ok boy, you're up in five! You're fighting a man they call Knuckle Buster". Jago nodded.

"What was the buy in?" he asked.

"Seven hundred thousand Yen".

"The prize?"

"Twenty-one". Jago nodded.

"Let's do it" he said and then started to make his way towards the waiting room. He paused and then called back over his shoulder: "Wish me luck" and then he was gone.

"Will he survive?" Lind asked Urd. Urd merely shrugged at the shorter goddess.

"I think he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Just watch him".

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"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the announcer boomed over the mike! "WELCOME TO CRASH PALACE!" There was an almighty roar from the crowd and they began to chant: FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! "AND NOW, FOR OUR FIRST FIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE BONE SPLITTING GIANT, KNUCKLE BUSTER!" The crowd went wild as the man appeared. Jago snorted. He was taller than Jago and he had more muscle. But Jago could already see his weakness.  
"Not too hard. Now let's get this done".

"AND NOW THE CHALLENGER! HAILING FROM THE UK AND IN HIS CRASH PALACE DEBOUT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I GIVE TO YOU, THE ALMIGHT JAGO!" Jago stepped forward, heading for the ring. He was met by a howl of derision from the crowd but he ignored them. Then he spotted Lind and the others, standing right up against the ring. Lind smiled and waved. Jago winked.

"Good luck Jago!" Chrono called. Then he stepped into the ring. The referee stepped up.

"Right" he said, "You know the rules. No eyes, no crotch-shots, no weapons on entry but anything that lands in the ring can be used. To win, get a knockout, a tap-out or a kill. Anything else goes". He turned to Knuckles. "Ready?" he asked. Knuckles nodded, raising his fists. "Ready?" Jago nodded. "Ok! 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!" and the reff scrambled to get out of the way. Knuckles charged Jago, bellowing and swung hard. Jago blocked and gave a vicious triple punch to the stomach. His opponent grunted and then came again, catching Jago a hard right cross to the jaw. For the next few minutes, the fight teetered back and forth, with each trading blows with the other. However, it was beginning to look like Jago would lose. He was slowing. He wasn't attacking. Skuld was beginning to panic.

"Come on Jago! You can beat this guy!"  
"Shut up Skuld!" said Lind, irritated.

"But he's losing!"

"No he's not, he's reading his opponent".

"What?"

"Look" Lind said and pointed. "You see how every time Knuckle Buster throws a punch; Jago sort of rolls his body? Well, he's testing his opponent, while using his own movement to stop his opponent's attacks. At best, all that have hit Jago are glancing blows".

"WHAT!?" said Skuld. She turned to Chrono. "Is that true?" she asked.

"Yes" said Chrono. "Now shut up and watch the fight!" It was then that Jago made his move. He broke contact and moved over to where the others were. He leaned in close and took the handkerchief from Lind, winking.

"Showtime!" he said and turned back to Knuckle Buster. He used the cloth to mop his face clean of sweat and then he stepped forward. And he flicked the cloth at his opponent. Knuckles reacted instinctively, swinging a hard right at Jago. However Jago had ducked, blocked the attack with his elbow and then grabbed the giants huge right leg, bringing his hand hard down on his enemies knee. There was an audible crack as the knee shatter. This is what Jago had seen. A slight limp caused by an old, untreated injury. Almost imperceptible but there not the less. Knuckle Buster turned white and let out a piercing scream as the bone tore through muscle and cartilage and he dropped to the floor, writhing. Jago then calmly grabbed the big man by his ears and smashed his head hard against the floor, knocking him unconscious. The fight was over. Jago had won.

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After the fight, Urd had disappeared to collect their winnings while Jago met up with the others. Skuld was furious.

"You big jerk!" she shouted, pounding on his chest with her fists. "I was so scared! I thought he was going to beat you!" A look of concern crossed his face.

"You were really worried about me?" he asked.

"Of course!" Skuld said. "I may not have known you long but-"and she blushed, "but I like you and I would never have forgiven you if you had lost!" Jago smiled down at her and pulled her into a mighty bear hug.

"Thanks" he said and then gently put her down as Urd approached. Behind her were a pair of men, bookie types and they seemed to have been discussing business. Urd stopped and handed Jago his prize money.

"There you go, twenty-one thousand, all in cash. However" she then indicated the two bookies, "these two gentlemen have a business deal that they wish to discuss with you". One of them stepped forward.

"Pleased to meet you!" he said, holding out a hand. "Jago right?" Jago nodded. "Good, good" the man said. "Now, I was wondering whether you would be interested in a little deal. You see, we usually have a massive free for all brawl, a cage match, with ten fighters duking it out for a massive cash prize".

"How big we talking?" asked Jago.

"Usually three million Yen". Jago whistled. "Any way" said the bookie, "We're a man short for tonight's match and we was wondering whether you would be interested?" Jago paused for a second, thinking.

"Whats the catch?" he said. The man blinked and pulled a sly grin.

"No catch. You give us the money you earned today, you get a place. Winner takes all". Jago scratched his head for a second.

"Let me talk to my associates and see what they think first" he said. He took Urd and Lind aside and then began to whisper. "So, what do you think?" he said.

"I don't trust them" said Lind, folding her arms. "They appear to be planning something". Jago nodded.

"I agree" he said, "but if I can win this, it will be a major coup. We'd be set for life!"

"I say let's do it" said Urd. "If you think you can do something, you should at least give it a go".

"My thoughts exactly" said Jago and finally, Lind nodded in agreement. Jago turned back to the bookies. "I'm in" he said and the bookies smiled, taking his money.

"Pleasure doing business with you mister Jago" they said as they sauntered of. Jago then turned to Chrono.

"Keep an eye on them. If they try to do a runner on us, break a few bones". She nodded and disappeared into the crowd. "Right then" said Jago, "Let's rumble".

8888

When Jago stepped out, the other nine fighters were already in the ring. He walked calmly forward and then paused at the edge of the ring. Just as he was about to climb in, Lind leaned forward and grabbed his arm.

"Remember, you won't have time to read your opponents. Beat them fast or they'll overwhelm you". Jago nodded.

"Just keep that knife handy" he said and then stepped into the ring. The referees voice then began to boom over the mike.

"LASIDES AND GENTTLEMEN, IT IS NOW TIME FOR THE MAIN EVENT! TEN MEN ENTER, ONE MAN LEAVES! THE ONLY WAY OUT IS TO KO OR KILL YOUR OPPONENTS! SO GET READY! AND FIGHT!" Jago charged forward, heading for the nearest guy, a hulking black man which a face covered in scars. Jago talked him hard with his shoulder, knocking the breath out of the man and then lay into him with his fists, pummelling the man's mid-section. The man dropped to the floor, wheezing and Jago brought his arm down hard on the back of the man's head, knocking him unconscious. He didn't have time to rest though. As soon as the man was despatched, for as soon as he was down, something heavy collided with his back and locked itself around his arms. Jago reached around behind him and grabbed the man, hurling him over the top of his head and sending him crashing into the wire-netting that formed the edge of the ring. The man bounced up and then began to move fast, summersaulting, jumping and kicking. However, he wasn't watching his opponent and Jago stepped forward and floored the man with a single hard punch to the jaw. It was then that the ambush came. Three men rushed Jago simultaneously, one pinning his arms and the others starting to pound his stomach and face. They kicked his legs out from under him and he landed on his knees, before one of them kicked him in the stomach. He let out a groan and collapsed, disappearing from view in a melee of kicks and punches.

"Jago!" shouted Skuld, looking horrified.

"Those dirty rats!" shouted Urd. "They must be working for those bookies!"

"What?"

"Isn't it obvious? They work together in the fight, then two will take a dive and then afterwards, they split the prize money!" The rest looked horrified. Even Lind's face was a mask of concern. It was then though that Jago sprang back. At some point, people had started to throw thing's into the ring: bottles, cans, wrappers. However, one of the things that had landed was a piece of wood, two foot long and a few inches across. And Jago's questing hand, searching for an escape, had found it. With a might roar, he leapt to his feet and swung the plank, catching one of his attackers full in the face. The man staggered back and on the second blow, he went down, breaking the piece of wood. By now though, Jago was beyond caring. He was going to _kill them_! Lind gasped in horror at Jago's face. Blood was running from his lips, his cheeks were a mask of bruises and one eye was swollen shut. But it was the other eye that truly worried her. It was blood red. This, combined with the fury with which he now fought could only mean one thing. This man that she cared for had become a berserker! And what a berserker! Jago had decked three men and another three had already gone now. The other four all went down in less than thirty seconds. In his rage, Jago didn't care, continuing to pound them, where they lay. And then as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. The red mist lifted and he seemed to sag, the rage leaving him. He spat blood to clear his mouth and then grinned. He had won again. The crowd began to cheer and he headed for the exit but then a gasp went out.

"Jago! Behind you!" came Urd's voice and he turned in time to see one of the men that he had thought was down was now charging him, a broken bottle held in front of him like a knife. Jago dogged but the man was fast. His first stab missed. However, he then stepped forward and slashed hard, catching Jago across the chest. Bright blood welled up and spurted across the ring.

"Jago!" shouted Lind. He rapidly backpedalled trying to put some distance between himself and the bottle, one arm held across his chest to staunch the bleeding. It hurt but it was only a flesh wound. It would heal. But not if he was dead. How to beat this man? Then it occurred to him: the same way he beat that biker!

"Lind, knife me!" he said and she tossed the mora over the top of the netting. Jago caught it expertly and unsheathed it, tossing it from his left hand to his right. "Right then" he said to the man, who was now suddenly scared, "**Come 'ere**!" He charged forwards and before the man could react, he brought the knife down hard on the neck of the bottle, skinning the man's fingers as he did so. Before he could react, he dropped the knife and grabbed the man's hand, crushing the remains of the bottle and sending the splinters into the man's hand. Jago's opponent went white and let out a pitiful scream. Jago then reached into the man's fist and squeezed hard, feeling the shards grind against the bone. With that, the man collapsed, writhing in agony. Then his hand was released. He looked up. Jago grinned like a shark. "Adios, mother fucker" he said quietly and then kicked hard, his foot connecting with sickening force with the side of the man's head. There was a crunch and the man slowly toppled sideways. Jago then straightened himself, cracked out his knuckles and neck. And then he groaned. "Gonna be sore in the morning" he said.

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"Holy shit, did you see that!" said one of the bookies, as Jago made his way down from the ring.

"He took out three of our best men in less than a minute!"

"I know!" and then he thought for a second. "We'd better scarper!" he said and they both turned to leave. However, their escape route was blocked as Chrono now stood in their way, cracking her knuckles.

"Where do you two think you're going?" she said. "You lie to us, you cheat, you try to beat former Mistress Lind's friend into a pulp and then you try to run away?" at this point, she was nearly shouting but then she dropped into a softer tone. "I'm going to enjoy this!" she said and stepped forward, fist swinging.

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Belldandy and Keiichi were late home from work that night. Chihiro had just got it a ton of rare and expensive car parts for an upgrade that a customer had requested and it had taken all day to get them sorted and stored for use. Keiichi was exhausted.

"I wish that it didn't have to take so long to get things done" he said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm sure that the man will be very happy with the work you did for him!" Belldandy said brightly.

"Thanks Bell" he said and smiled.

"That's ok" she said, smiling. "Ok, you put the bike away and I'll go and get dinner ready, ok?" Keiichi nodded.

"Ok, see you in a minute" he said and watched as Belldandy disappeared inside. "What did I do to deserve such a sweet person as Belldandy?" Keiichi thought to himself and smiled. Meanwhile, as Belldandy entered, she found something strange. As she opened the door, a smell of cooking was coming from the kitchen. She would have to investigate but not before she checked on everyone. She headed for the tea room and was greeted by a surprise. Urd and Lind were busy counting out a huge pile of Yen notes while Skuld, Eir, Saga and Chrono were all watching whilst sucking on ice lollies. Skuld spotted her first.

"Big Sis!" cried and raced over, hugging Belldandy hard.

"Why hello Skuld" Belldandy said kindly. "How has your day been?"

"It was great! Look at what Jago managed to do!" Skuld said and pointed at the stack of notes.

"Did he earn all of those in one day?" she asked.

"Yes!" said Skuld. "It was amazing!" But then she paused. "I think it would be better if he told you about it though" she said.

"Ok" said Belldandy. "Where is Mister Jago?"

"He's in the kitchen. He said that since we didn't know when you and Keiichi would be getting home, he would make a start on dinner, so that we at least had something to be going on with". Belldandy nodded.

"I see" she said. "Well, let's go and see what he's been doing then, shall we?"

8888

A warm smell of cooking meat and vegetables was coming from the kitchen when Belldandy entered. Jago was standing by the sink, washing up while Lamb was busy stirring a huge pressure cooker and Damascus was busy stoking the fire with timber. Belldandy cleared her throat.

"Good evening, Mister Jago" she said. Jago turned to her and cracked a grin.

"Belldandy! Good to see you!" he said and he stepped forward and hugged her. She returned his hug but he gasped and she backed away and it was then that she realised that his face was a mass of deep purple bruises.

"My goodness! What happened to you?" she said, holding a hand to her mouth.

"Long story" he said, shrugging and then turned back to the pot. He gently took the spoon from Lamb dabbed a bit of sauce onto the palm of his hand. He tasted it, smacking his lips. "Needs a little salt and pepper" he said and added them. He then turned back to Belldandy and handed her the spoon. "Try it" he said and she did. It was good.

"What is this?" she asked.

"My own special recipe. I calls it Bumble Beast Stew. Now I know what you're thinking: it's my job to do the cooking but I didn't know when you'd be back and I wanted to do a little something for you, since you let me stay here". He handed the spoon back to Lamb. "Besides" he said, "I've got work tomorrow so I thought I would help out while I could". Belldandy blinked.

"You found a job?" Jago raised his hand and wriggled it in a so-so gesture.

"Let's just say that it will be a way to pay rent" he said. He then remembered something and drew his wallet from his pocket, handing Belldandy a large fistful of notes, about 100000 Yen worth. "This is for you and Keiichi" he said with a wink. "As you probably saw, I made some money today and this is your share. Now, if you ever need anything, just ask". He turned back to his pot and continued scrubbing. Belldandy was still reeling from being given the massive handful of notes.

"I'm sorry, I can't take this" she said and tried to hand them back. However as she did so, Damascus touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't" she said. "If you try to return a gift, it would just insult him".

"But this is a lot of money!" Damascus sighed.

"Come with me and I'll explain". She turned to Jago. "We'll be back soon, I just need to talk to Belldandy".

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"What?!" Belldandy said, looking horrified. "He was involved in a fight for money?"  
"Yes" said Damascus, as she sat in Belldandy's room, opposite each other. Belldandy looked incredibly concerned and worried, while Damascus was keeping her face blank and her arms folded. "He needed a great deal of money to start this new blacksmith's business and he needed it quickly. So I searched through his memories and I discovered some things about illegal fight matches. Apparently, he used to occasionally fight for money, before he became a splatter and that's why he is so good at it".

"Is that why he looks like that?" Damascus nodded.

"He was attacked by three guys at the same time. He beat them but only after he had taken a beating himself. He also got cut pretty badly across the chest by a bottle but he says it's fine". Damascus shook her head. "To be honest, I am more worried about how he beat those guy's" she said and for the first time since Jago had adopted her, she looked concerned. "For a few seconds, it was almost like he was a different person. And I don't mean just super angry, I mean a different person, with a different set of memories".

"What do you mean?" Damascus leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"Well during the last stages of the fight, he was almost like a berserker. He seemed to completely lose control and his personality changed completely. More worryingly, when Lamb and I tried to talk to him, we couldn't get through! It was almost as if there was someone else in there who had forced Jago out!" She shook her head. "I may be a devil but whatever that was, was terrible. Not evil per say but….." and her voice trailed off.

"So you think that whatever it was might be dangerous?" asked Belldandy.

"Yes. If there is something with that much rage living within him, who's know what might happen to M-" and she cut herself short, looking down embarrassed. Belldandy had caught this.

"You were going to call him Master weren't you?" she asked.

"No! No I wasn't! I mean, he is nothing but a lowly human! An Archdevil would never call a human master! I-I-" and then she topped. Belldandy smiled sweetly and gently took hold of Damascus, pulling the devil into an embrace. Damascus, taken by surprise, was powerless to resist. She just lay there and allowed Belldandy's warmth and kindness to wash over her.

"You really do care for him don't you?" Belldandy asked. This brought Damascus to her senses and she pulled away gently, with tears in her eyes.

"Yes" she said but remained looking sad. "But how can I love him? Does he love me? How can I be sure?" and then her usual steely look returned. "And besides" she said, "Astrakhan Lamb was his first soul-mate. I was just a necessity who came along at a later date. How could I ever hope to compete with her? She's the one with the contract with him!" She looked sad again. "What would my Mistress have said if she knew I had fallen in love with a new master?" Belldandy gave her a sad smile.

"I think that she would be happy that you have found someone who cares for you as much as she did. And as for being a devil, I do not feel that he sees this a problem. He looks at you with just as much affection as he does Lamb and he is always so sad when the two of you fight". Belldandy's smile warmed a little. "I think you just need to let him show it" she said. Eventually Damascus nodded.

"If you say so" she said, sounding unconvinced. She then cleared her throat. "However, this doesn't answer our first question: what was it that appeared within him when he went berserk? What shall we do about it?" Belldandy's face turned serious.

"I think that we shall confront him about it. After dinner. All of us. If he has something inside him, we must attempt to seal it". Damascus nodded.

"Then it's agreed. I will tell the others". She rose from the floor and began to make her way towards the tea room. Just before she opened the door, she turned and looked back and Belldandy. "Thank you" she said, smiling and then stepped in to tell the others of the plan.

*1 Wow Wow sauce is an incredibly dangerous condiment. For exact specifics, see Nanny Ogg's Cookbook (Terry Pratchett)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Salt and Iron Fillings**

A while later, Jago arrived in the tea room, carrying a steaming pot of thick brown stew, with Lamb close behind him, carrying a stack of bowls.

"Don't worry" he said, setting the pot down on the table, "All mistakes are guaranteed edible!" and he then started ladling out portions of stew to everyone. He handed around the bowls and they all tucked in.

"Wow!" said Keiichi, "This is awesome! What did you put in this?" he said, taking a spoonful.

"Simple recipe" Jago said. "Carrots, spuds, parsnips, onions, two cloves of crushed garlic, beef stock, pork, salami for flavour, a bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Dump it all in a big pot and boil until it whistles". He then took his own spoonful, thinking. "Oh and homemade dumplings" he said with a smile.

"Is that all?"

"Yep". The rest of dinner was finished in relative quiet. It was only afterwards that Urd decided to talk to Jago about the berserker side.

"So Jago, there has been something we have been meaning to talk to you about" she said.

"Oh yeah? What's that then?"

"It's about that fight earlier today" she said. "There was a moment there where you were…" she paused for a second, "Well you kind of… urr, how should I put this?"

"I went berserk didn't I?" Jago said, his usual smile fading from his face. They all nodded. He sighed. "Jupiter" he said. Urd cocked her head.

"Jupiter?" she asked.

"Papa Jupiter" Jago said with a nod and he sat down with a sigh. "What do you know of monsters?" he said. This caught them by surprise.

"Monsters?" asked Belldandy.

"Aye. Monsters". They still looked confused. "Alright, I had better explain" he said, lighting a cigarette. "They say that within all men there is a monster. A being of infinite rage and anger. Pure evil". He took a pull on the cigarette. "I mean every man. Even Keiichi". He smiled at their chocked faces. "Don't worry" he said, "Most people never even know it's there, never mind meeting the bloody thing". But then he grinned. "I'm one of the few who have. It was a few years back. Just coming home with a mate with me. Good times. We met this guy coming the other way. Big guy. Nasty looking. He tried to mugs us". Jago shivered. "He had a knife. I was a soft touch back then. Never hit anyone in my life. My friend was different. He tried to fight back. He was stabbed". He looked at the group sadly. "I lost it" he said. "Something snapped inside. Seeing someone I liked bleeding out on the floor, with this bastard standing there laughing at it, it made me mad. More than mad. Don't remember much about what happened next. Police say that I attacked the man; beat him to within an inch of his life. I couldn't say. They said I had some unknown psychiatric thing. Basically, I was a natural berserker". He sighed. "Since then I have always lived in fear of myself. I keep the beast under lock and key but occasionally, he escapes. And because he is so different from the normal me, I gave this side of myself a name. Papa Jupiter".

"You were really that angry when you were fighting?" Damascus asked, floating over to him. Jago nodded.

"Not just angry. Scared. But not for myself. I was worried about you and Lamb. I couldn't let anything happen to you so I had no choice but to let Jupiter out". Lamb nodded.

"Is that that why we couldn't talk to you?" she asked.

"Probably" Jago said. Then he brightened. "Don't worry" he said. "Chances are you will never meet him again". He then stood. "Ok, depressing discussion over, got to get the washing up done and then an early night. Got work in the morning" he said with a smile and then he left, followed by Lamb and Damascus. Urd quietly turned to Belldandy.

"Well we didn't need to seal him so that's something I suppose". She then scratched her head. "But I'm not sure that we trust him about this "Jupiter" person. Do you not think it might be a bit dangerous to have someone like that living in the same house as us?" Belldandy shook her head.

"I think that Mister Jago is trustworthy. We should respect what he says and believe that he can control Jupiter".

"Still, isn't it a risk? I mean, you weren't there but he totally destroyed those guys!" Again, Belldandy shook her head.

"I doubt that he would ever do us harm. However" she said, looking sad, "If you feel that he may be a risk and if Jupiter is shown again, then we will seal him. Would that suffice?" Urd nodded.

"That should do it" she said.

"You know I can hear every word your saying!" came Jago's voice from the kitchen. Lind smiled.

"Well, he's quite a character isn't he" she said and she stood. "I'm going to bed too" she said. "I suppose that if I am to live here, then I had better start looking for some work tomorrow". She bowed to them. "Goodnight" she said and left the room.

"Has anyone noticed how Lind has been acting funny recently?" Keiichi asked after a few minutes. "I mean, last night I saw her sneaking out of her room after we had all gone to bed". Chrono nodded.

"I agree" she said. "I know she has been dismissed from the Valkyries but she seems to have changed somehow. She's less aloof than she was. And there's something else". She leaned forward slightly, to make sure that they weren't overheard. "Ever since she got back from Heaven, she's been giving Jago funny looks. It's almost like something has happened between them that they want to keep secret". Belldandy cleared her throat.

"I know what it is" she said, blushing.

"Really?" said Chrono.

"Yes" Belldandy replied. "But I swore to Lind that I wouldn't tell anybody".

"What do you mean?" asked Keiichi. "What could have happened between them that could have caused Lind to act so strangely?"

"Come on, you can tell us" said Saga, leaning forward.

"Who's going to know?" asked Eir. Belldandy shook her head.

"I promised I wouldn't tell. It is not our business". Urd sighed.

"You five are so dumb" she said. "She's fallen for Jago".

"What!?" shouted Skuld.

"No way!" said Keiichi.

"Well think about it" said Urd. "What could cause Lind to act differently, besides losing her job? Plus, those funny looks, those ones that Chrono mentioned: lust". She chuckled. "I'm afraid that little Lind is infatuated". Keiichi went red.

"Lust?! You mean Lind and Jago-"

"Yes"

"What!?" shrieked Skuld and Chrono together.

"That pervert!" said Skuld, obviously referring to Jago.

"How could she?" said Chrono. "How could my mentor allow herself to be sullied by one such as him? He may be powerful but he isn't exactly a looker. What could he have that all those gods in heaven don't have?"

"Well, I'm only guessing but I would say his insane tolerance to alcohol, Lind's complete inexperience in that area and a few supressed feelings. It's not for nothing that they insist that all Valkyries are virgin". Belldandy nodded.

"That is correct" she said. "Apparently Lind and Jago went out and became very drunk. When they returned to his apartment, their inhibitions were low and…." and her voice trailed away.

"How do you know this?" said Keiichi. Belldandy blushed furiously.

"When I went to change shifts with Lind that first evening, I-I saw them together". Keiichi began blushing as well, feeling embarrassed for asking. The others however charged forward and began bombarding poor Belldandy with questions. Keiichi then leaned back and smiled.

"Lind and Jago huh?" he thought to himself. "Who would have thought? Well, at least she seems happy with him". He sighed as the questions kept coming. "Why can't something like that ever happen to Belldandy and I?" he thought sadly.

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Lind quietly closed the door to her and Chrono's room. She stood for a moment, just listening. The others were talking loudly in the tea room and she could also hear the softer sound of Jago singing to himself in the kitchen.

"Jago" she said to herself. "Why is it you make me feel this way? We may be lovers but still…." She felt tears coming to her eyes. And then she felt gentle hands wiping them away. She smiled at her angels as they tried to comfort their mistress. "Spear Mint, Cool Mint, thank you" she said with a smile and they returned it before retreating back inside her. She sighed heavily and then began to change into her nightie. Tomorrow would bring new things. She would find a job. She would adapt. She may now be an _ex_-Valkyrie but she was determined to make the best of it. And there was Jago. As long as he was here, it wouldn't be so bad. She climbed into bed and lay there for a while, thinking. Thinking back to that last meeting with Deaderuss.

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High Lord Deaderuss was the leader of all the Valkyries. In a world where most of the warriors were female, it was a surprise that the leader of them was a man. Or rather a god instead of a goddess. He had risen far and fast. The most powerful fighter that there had ever been. Only Lind could have challenged him. Yet she was far below him in rank. While Lind had decided to remain a Valkyrie captain, preferring the field of combat to a cushy guard job in the Praetorians, he had continued to advance until he has the head of the entire Praetorian cohort. Heavens elite fighters. He sat at a place on the high council. Only the Almighty was greater. And on her return to Heaven, she had been summoned straight to his office. She could remember walking along the long marble corridor, ranks of Praetorians either side, their faces covered by winged helmets. She could barely contain her disdain. Technically, the Praetorians were the most elite fighters in all of Heaven; with each it was claimed, being the equal of five normal Valkyries. In truth though, they were little more than decoration. Powerful they may be but each Praetorian was considered too valuable an asset to be used in anything other than a last-ditch defence of heaven. This is why Lind had stayed with the Valkyries; she loved the fight too much to become some toy soldier.

The heavy doors had opened before her as she approached, allowing her inside. She entered Deaderuss's office. The walls were lined with high bookshelves and above each was a different crest, representing the seven cohorts of the Praetorian guard. A huge desk of ancient wood sat in the middle of the room, it's surface covered by a deep red leather. On the desk were several piles of files, an Yggdrasil uplink computer and a small rack, containing a pair of implements. One was a sword, long and heavy bladed, in a beautifully made black sheath. Deaderuss's weapon of choice. The other appeared to be a poker, just along metal for with a bent end. However, closer inspection revealed the end was actually a rune, a curious one which seemed to gleam with wicked intent. And behind the desk, surrounded by seven Praetorian guards was Deaderuss. He was tall, at least six foot-three. His hair was long, straight and dark, his face handsome but cruel. A small smile played across his lips as Lind entered, a smile which had nothing to do with happiness. At last Lind stopped in front of the desk and saluted.

"Valkyrie goddess Lind, First Class, Special Category, Unlimited, at your service Lord Deaderuss" she said and then returned to a waiting position. Deaderuss glanced at her and then he got right to business.

"Lind" he said, with obvious distaste. He had always hated her and she knew it. She was the only one who could have challenged him. His only equal in all of Heaven who could have threatened him. They had been friends once, when they were young or rather, they had been two outcasts who hated each other yet were drawn together through common loneliness. They had both trained to become as strong as possible. She to gain her second wing, him to increase his own strength. And he needed it. For he was one of the few who couldn't keep an angel. It was rare, rarer than almost anything: more so than twin angels, rarer than an Arch. The Wingless-warriors they were called. It was said that they were descended from demons who had sided with Heaven during the last great war. Because of this, the mixing of blood, they were never truly one or the other. They were half-caste. Not right. Urd survived because she was the offspring of the heads of both Heaven and Hell but his family had been weak and low ranking and so he was unable to support either an angel or devil. This is what had driven him to become strong. Until he could best all those who opposed him. Only Lind was his match. They had progressed fast, each becoming the most powerful of their own Valkyrie cohorts. However, they had then separated. He had desired more power. Lind didn't. She simply wanted to fight. And so they had split. And he had hated her all the more for it.

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Deaderuss smiled at the Valkyrie before him. She had grown up well. Strong. Independent. Ruthless. Much like him. But now, she had failed. He grinned. He was going to enjoy this.

"Lind" he said. "You have returned. I trust you were successful in securing the Arch?" he asked. Lind winced. She knew full well that _he_ knew that she hadn't and that she was in serious trouble. What had Jago said? Up shit creek without a paddle.

"No sir" she said, concentrating on a point approximately three inches above Deaderuss's left ear.

"No?" he said, in mock surprise. "I give you a small task, recover a lost Arch and the mighty Lind, the greatest of Valkyries can't even achieve this?" He smirked. Although she was good at hiding it, it was clear his words had stung. "Then at least, you must have been able to seal her? Even if she had found a new host, the strength of three goddesses should have been enough to seal one lost Arch". He knew well enough that this wasn't true. As a separate entity, an Arch required phenomenal amounts of power to seal, maybe as many as ten qualified goddesses. But he couldn't resist.

"No sir" Lind said again.

"No" he said, smiling. "Then you have failed" he said. He then stood and then walked around the desk, stopping just in front of her. He leaned closer and sniffed her. He grinned. "And on top of this, you are no longer a maiden" he said. "You reek of human sweat and seed. A great fat oaf of a human. How the mighty have fallen". And then he slapped her. She took a step back, placing a hand over her face. "You disgrace us One-wing!" he said. He slapped her again. "You fail to save the Arch, you fail to seal her and then you sleep with a lowly human. You disgust me!" and he slapped her a third time. "You know the law! A Valkyrie must remain a virgin until the day she dies! Or else in battle, she becomes little more than a burden to her fellow Valkyries! A liability! And as if matters weren't bad enough, you open your legs not to a god but a human! A human man! A creature of almost no significance! You are little more than a common gutter whore!" He slapped her again. "Whore! Slut! Strumpet!" he spat at her and he struck her a fifth time. She backed away again, holding a hand to her face, tears in her eyes. She knew what was coming next. All those in the room knew. It could not get any worse, no matter what happened. So she smiled.

"At least he was a better man than you Deaderuss" she said, smiling. "He truly cared for me and those Archs. It was more than you were even capable of!" Deaderuss almost lost it. He grabbed the sword from the table, drawing it cleanly and held it high, preparing to strike down the insolent Valkyrie. Then he remembered himself. He couldn't kill her. He would have to do the next best thing. He stood back.

"Captain Lind, present your weapon!" he said, barely able to control his rage. Lind did, pulling her pole-axe seemingly out of thin air. Deaderuss took it in his hands and with one swift movement he broke the weapon cleanly in two. He then turned to the waiting Praetorians. "Take her" he said and they surged forward. Lind didn't resist as they seized her and then beat her to the ground. How could she? To resist would mean a certain, instant death. So she lay there and let the blows land. She was then stripped, her uniform torn from her, leaving her naked on the floor. Finally, a Praetorian placed a hand under each armpit, hauling her to her knees. They held her there while Deaderuss walked to the desk. "It is a shame it had to be this way" he said. "You would have been a most powerful Praetorian". He turned back to her, holding the iron rod in his hand. It was now clear what it was. It was a branding iron. With a snap of his fingers, the head was heated to red-hot and he then stepped in front of her. "Don't worry" he said with a mocking smile, "This will only hurt a lot" and he jammed the iron hard down between Lind's shoulders. She gasped as the agony coursed through her back. But she didn't cry out. Broken and naked she may be but wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Then at last it was over. She was now branded. A whore and a traitor. As a magical brand, only those with magic could see it while to mortals, it would appear invisible. It was just as well. She didn't want Jago to see. This was not his fault.

Finally Deaderuss took a step back.

"Lind, in the name of the Almighty, I hereby strip you of the rank of Valkyrie Captain and I banish you from Heaven. You are to remain on Earth for the rest of your days and if you ever return, you will be considered an enemy of Heaven and the Praetorians will be given full authority to kill you. As further punishment, your powers shall be restricted to that of a second category goddess. Personally I think this isn't enough but this is as much as I can give". He then turned to one of the guards. "Get her out of my sight" he said.

"My Lord" said the Praetorian. She wrapped one of Lind's arms around her shoulders and helped the disgraced Valkyrie out of the office. She then support Lind to the Valkyrie barracks, so Lind could collect her few possessions. Lind, not caring about her nakedness was all too happy to have someone to lean on. Eventually they reached Lind's room. The Praetorian set Lind down on the bed and closed the door behind her. She then removed her helmet and shook out her long blue hair. She looked like Lind, only older. While Lind looked like someone in her mid-twenties, this woman was probably in her late thirties, with the same set of circle marks adorning her face as Lind's. She sighed.

"You really did it this time Lind" she said. "At least he was a better man than you? Where do you come up with these things?" She sighed again. "Well, what's done is done. I suppose that you had better make the most of this. What will you do? Go back to the human?" Lind didn't even look at her.

"Mother, his name is Jago. He is smart, he's strong and he is a kinder man than any I have met, bar one". She looked her mother straight in the eye. "Yes I will back to him. I may be a whore and a traitor but it is still my duty to ensure that Jago and his Archs are safe. Plus, I must continue to train my apprentice, Chrono" she said, pulling on a spare uniform. She gasped as the suit brushed over her burn. Her mother sighed.

"I hope that this Jago was worth it. Imagine my shame. Me, Valmeyar, commander of the Praetorian fourth cohort, having her own daughter stripped of her rank and title and sent to Earth! All for the sake of one human male!" Lind sighed.

"Mother, stop it. We haven't even spoken since I refused my place in the Praetorians." She turned hard to Valmeyar, her face angry. "So stop trying to interfere!" She lifted her rucksack from the floor and then headed for the door. Before she left, she glanced back over her shoulder. "If you truly cared for me, you wouldn't have left me when you discovered my single wing". And then she left, leaving her mother standing alone in her former dormitory, as she headed to the Bifrost Gate. Her mother stood alone for a second. A single tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry Lind" she said quietly and then left.

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As Lind approached Bifrost, she began to grow apprehensive. How would she survive in the human world? Especially without much of her power? She touched one hand to her ear, feeling the newly implanted limiter. She sighed. She would just have to make the best of it. As she grew closer, she could make out her old friend Heimdall the gate guard, who was locked in a game of heavenly chess with Bifrost, the physical embodiment of the gate to Earth (*1). Lind liked Heimdall. He had been the one who had first taught her how to fight and ever since, she had been attached to the tall, gold armoured giant.

"I hear you have been banished Lind" he said, not looking up from the game, while scratching his chin in thought. Lind nodded. It didn't matter that Heimdall wasn't looking. His golden eyes could see across all of time and space simultaneously. He knew everything that had ever happened, everything that was happening and everything that would happen. "This is a good thing" he said. "You were wasted there anyway". He moved a piece and then sighed. "I hope you have better luck on Earth" he said and stood, taking Bifrost's key from his tunic. Lind nodded again.

"Thank you Heimdall" she said, waiting until he had unlocked Bifrost. She stepped through and descended to Earth. Just as she did so, she heard Heimdall call to her.

"Take care of yourself now!" he said. After she was gone, he turned back to his game.

"Will she be ok?" Bifrost asked.

"You know I'm not allowed to tell people that stuff" he said.

"Your point is?" He smiled.

"She'll be ok. There will be trouble for her and her friends soon, big trouble. But eventually it will all work itself out". He then glanced at the board. "You're going to beat me in fourty-seven moves" he said.

"That's cheating" said Bifrost. "You can't use your magic eyes to see who will win!"

"I didn't" said Heimdall. "You always beat me in fourty-seven moves".

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Now Lind was on Earth. Lying in bed. The whore. The traitor. Exiled. Banished. Never to return home. She cried quietly to herself. Then she remembered him. Jago. He was kind. Strong. Handsome in his own broken down way. And he cared. He cared for Lamb, for Damascus. She saw how he had helped Skuld with the wood, even though he hadn't seen her. And most of all, he cared for her. Her. The broken down Valkyrie. Then it came to her. Did he love her? She sat up. Was that what she felt for him? Love? She shook her head.

"Couldn't be" she thought to herself. She lay back down. It was then she felt it. Something hard under her pillow. She reached under it and pulled the object out. It was an envelope. On it was written "4 L, From J". She open it and shook it gently. Out fell an object. She picked it up and held it to the light. It was a key. She smiled. Only one place in the entire temple grounds needed a key. Jago's house.

Jago lay quietly in bed, eyes closed, listening to the sound of the river outside. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and he was going to need his rest. He heard the sound of the front door opening, closing and then locking again and he sighed sleepily as he felt Lind's warm arm wrap itself around him.

"Evening you" he said and rolled over to his waiting goddess.

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The sun was shining brightly the next morning. Keiichi stepped outside, holding a mug of tea in his hand. It was still going to be a while before he and Belldandy had to head off to work and he thought he would enjoy his peace while he had the chance. Then, all at once his peace was shattered. The ground shook and there was a deep rumble.

"What? Not again!" he said, recognising it as the sound of something rising from the ground. The, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Urd and Belldandy rushed outside.

"What was that?" cried Urd, looking around. Keiichi pointed out towards the forest, where Jago's cottage lay.

"I think that Jago just built something" he said.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Eir and Saga as they appeared behind Belldandy, closely followed by the rest of the temple residents.

"Jago's building something again" Urd said, looking annoyed. "Come on" she said, "We'd better go and find out what that idiot is up to" and she strode off towards the cottage. The first surprise that was the sign that had been put up. It was along the path to the house, about halfway between it and the temple complex. It stood alone, around about eye level and it said, in several different languages: "WELCOME TO BUGGERUP. PLEASE CHECK YOUR WEAPONS".

"How strange" said Belldandy. "This wasn't here yesterday. Why would Jago put up a sign like this?" Skuld pointed.

"Could it be because of that?" she asked and they followed where she was looking. There lay the second surprise of the day. Lying about a hundred yards from the main house was a new building. It was made of the same granite rock as the main cottage but was far larger, covering a substantial area of land. They approached the building just as Jago was coming out. He grinned and waved a good morning.

"Aye-up!" he said. "How's it going?"

"Well we were hoping to get a bit more sleep today" said Urd, "But you appear to have built an extension".

"Oh, sorry" said Jago, looking sheepish.

"What is this place anyway?" asked Skuld.

"Ah" said Jago, his face brightening. "You'll like this. It's my foundry" he said.

"You're what?"

"My foundry" he said. "Specifically, it's a water powered forge and blacksmith's shop". All he got was blank looks. He sighed. "You may remember me saying that I needed some kind of project to keep myself sane? Well this is it. I'm going to become a blacksmith!" More blank looks. He sighed again. "Maybe I should just show you" he said. He led them around the back of the building where a small shed stood. He ducked inside and led them into the main building, which was considerably bigger than the house. Several large hearths and furnaces were scattered around the room, while in one corner sat a trio of huge hammers which appeared to be attached to metal and wooden clockwork. There were also several large anvils and what appeared to be a set of shears set into the floor. When everyone was inside, he began his explanation. "You see my friends, I need to stay busy or I'll go mad. That's not something that I really want to have happen as you might expect. So, my plan was to do something useful. I would work with my hands and make things. But what to make? The answer was obvious: anything! Anything metal that could possibly be asked for can now be made here. My plan was I would set up this smithy and make a living making, selling and repairing metal items".

"Why would you come up with something like that?" asked Keiichi.

"Simple" said Jago and held up his hand. "Two reasons. One: tradition. My family have been smiths for years. In fact my middle name, "Finch" means blacksmith in old tongue. This particular idea came from a book I was reading. My family owned a foundry like this and so this is the Finch Foundry Mark II. Secondly: money. I may have made a bundle last night but there is no way in hell I'm doing that again anytime soon. In fact the main reason I did it was to help finance this new business. I need materials to work with. That's what the money was fore". He paused. "So, what do you think?" It was a quiet for a while. Then Chrono piped up.

"Have you ever done anything like this before?" she asked.

"If you mean working with metals then yes" Jago said. "I may not have _all_ the skills but I can certainly do most of it. Plus, I have one thing that most smiths don't".

"And what might that be?" Jago grinned.

"An affinity to iron and a devil who knows _everything _there is to know about metal working!" Chrono had to admit, this was pretty good logic. Then it was Belldandy's turn.

"This is very admirable" she said, smiling. "I hope that you enjoy this as much as you hope to!" Jago nodded and smiled back.

"Thanks lass" he said. He then turned away from them . "Right" he said. "I had better get started. I put up a website last night and already have orders for two swords, a set of specialist copper pots and some high quality car parts, so I had better get started". The others filled out leaving Jago alone in the room. Or at least that's what he thought. He turned back to see Skuld was still there.

"So Jago, what exactly do you use to run this lot?" she asked, pointing at the massive hammers. Jago smiled and winked.

"That's the ticket" he said and he led her outside and around the corner of the house to where a section of the river had been diverted. "There they are" he said proudly and pointed to a trio of massive water-wheels. Skuld looked puzzled.

"You run those things on water?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"Yep".

"But that's so primitive!" she said. "If you just used an electric motor, it would be so much simpler! Jago nodded.

"Aye, it would be simpler. But it would cost more and I can't fix it if it breaks down". Skuld thought about this.

"I guess your right" she said. "So what exactly are you planning to make first?" Jago shrugged.

"I thought I would start on a sword" he said.

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To see Jago work was a joy to watch. First he tough a bar of rough steel and melted it down in one of the furnaces. Damascus kept the temperature constant while Jago and Lamb poured the steel into a bar mould and then, while waiting for it to cool, they began working on the next piece. Once the steel had cooled sufficiently, it was time to begin work properly. It was reheated and then they began by placing it under the largest of the tilt hammers. The water wheel was engaged and the hammer began to crank, slamming down with enough force to make the entire building shake. Once the metal had been hammered into roughly the right shape, it was the applied to the smaller tilt hammer. This beat more rapidly and quickly shaped the metal into a sword shape. But it wasn't over. The three of them then reheated the metal and then using hand hammers, began folding it and then straightening it once more. This was repeated several times, until the metal had been well mixed. Now the specific request had been for a scimitar, so this took some extra work, bending the metal into the correct shape. Finally though, it was done. Filled with confidence, Jago set his angels each a task: Lamb proceeded to the grind house where a smaller waterwheel powered a massive grind stone which she then used to sharpen the blade. Meanwhile, Damascus was tasked with creating a hilt and sheath for the blade, which she preceded to do, albeit grudgingly. In the meantime, Jago had begun work on the next item: the specialist car parts. He used casting for this, something that the original foundry hadn't been able to do but with some modification, it was now possible. Within a few hours, the work was done and it was the time to deliver the items. They had been paid for over the internet and it was just a quick drive to the post office in order to have them sent on their way. Only after the work was finished did Jago allow them to rest. After a shower, they headed for the main temple building, looking for lunch. As they approached, they found the temple surprisingly quiet. Eir and Saga were studying, Urd was watching one of her corny soap operas and Skuld was busy inventing something. Apparently, Lind had gone out earlier in order to find some work.

"Good luck to her" Jago thought as he raided the fridge, coming out with several pieces of cheese, an apple, some bread and some cold meat. He headed outside and sat on the step, looking out over the garden. It was while he was sitting there that he spotted Chrono. She was in her full Valkyrie battle dress, any was busy training with her poleaxe. He sat watching her for a while, until he had finished his meal. It was then that he had an idea. He turned to Lamb and Damascus who had also been enjoying the simple meal and whispered to them. They looked at one-another. They nodded. Jago stood and began to walk over to Chrono. About half way there, she spotted them and waved.

"High Mister Jago" she said with a smile.

"Just Jago if you don't mind" he said. "The only reason Belldandy calls me that is there is no way of stopping her". Chrono nodded.

"Fair enough" she said and then went back to her routine. After a few minutes though, she stopped, uncomfortable with Jago watching her. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"Yes, I was looking for a sparring partner" Jago said. Chrono was taken aback.

"A sparring partner?" she asked, looking confused.

"Yep. You see, I've finished all my work for the day and I need something to do for the afternoon. Plus," he said and he laid a hand across the hilt of his khukuri , "I be a good fist fighter but I have never had chance to use this properly". Chrono looked unsure.

"I don't know. I mean, I may only be a Valkyrie trainee but I'm still pretty handy with this" she said, indicating her poleaxe. Jago chuckled.

"You forget: I have a Praetorian Arch on my side!" Chrono smiled at this. "Besides, I think that it would be better if you had an actual opponent then your training would be far more effective. So what do you say?" She nodded.

"Ok, let's try it". The two separated, with Jago on the left and Chrono opposite him on the right. They stood about ten paces apart and readied their weapons, Chrono raised her axe in an attack position while Jago crouched slightly, pulling his khukuri free with his right hand. He spun it once and then raised his other hand to act as a shield. He the angels back inside, he was going to need them. He cracked out his neck and grinned.

"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!" he said.

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Chrono charged, swinging her axe over hand in a massive, haymaking cut. Jago took a step back and blocked her attack with his left arm before stepping forward and slicing at her midriff. Chrono stepped back and then thrust forward with the tip of her weapon while Jago dodged and ducked. The end-spike hissed past his head and he jabbed his blade forward, barely missing her face. Chrono spun and unleashed a series of punishing blows but somehow, Jago was always just out of the way. Meanwhile, she was barely able to avoid his chops and stabs. She was growing tired. How was it possible that this human was able to match her? At last, after nearly twenty minutes of exchanging blows, Chrono was forced to stop. She leaned heavily against her pole-axe and panted, as a trickle of blood gently ran down from one of her knuckles where Jago's blade had nicked her. She smiled.

"You're a better fighter than I expected" she said as she struggled for breath. She felt a hand on her shoulder and was surprised to see Astrakhan Lamb was behind her, holding out a handkerchief. "Lamb? Where did you come from? I thought Jago called you back inside" she said as she accepted the cloth and wiped her face. Lamb smiled.

"He did. But after a few blows, Master realised that he was too strong for you. So he handicapped himself, in order to allow you a fairer fight". Chrono was shocked.

"He handicapped himself to fight me!?" she said in surprise. Lamb nodded.

"My Master wanted to be kind. He saw how you were enjoying the match and he thought he would see just how long you could keep it up". Chrono looked unhappy at this.

"You mean he was pitying me?"

"No! He wanted to help you so that one day you would be able to fight us properly".

"I think it was a waste of time" said Damascus. She smirked at the exhausted Chrono. "If we had used magic, we could have defeated you easily! Or if that _flutterbird_ had stayed and he had actually put the effort in, he would have beaten you in seconds!" Jago looked at her severely and Lamb glared daggers.

"That was uncalled for! Plus, to fight like that would be dishonourable" he said and sheathed his blade". He then held out a hand to Chrono. "Now let's have a look at that hand" he said. Chrono waved him away.

"It's nothing" she said. Jago shook his head.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Now let me have a look, don't want getting infected". He took her hand gently in his massive paws and inspected the cut. Shallow, just taking the skin off the top. Chrono was touched. He may be a huge hairy beast but he cared.

_"No wonder Mistress Lind likes him"_ her angel said form inside her.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

"I'm sorry?" Jago said, looking up. Chrono blushed.

"Sorry, I was talking to my angel". Jago nodded.

"Fair enough" he said and went back to her hand. At last he released her. "Looks ok. We'll just dab a little honey on it as an antiseptic and wrap a little masking tape around it to stop the bleeding and you should be right as rain". He led her inside and began digging through the kitchen cupboards and eventually came back with honey and tape. He gently bandaged her finger, thinking to himself. At last, he asked her something.

"Can I meet her?"

"I'm sorry?" said Chrono, confused.

"Your angel. Can I meet her? Or is it rude to ask?" he said. Chrono nodded.

"It is rude to ask but in this case, I think I will let it slide". She closed her eyes for a second and the she quietly said, "Come forth my Heart of Sterling Silver". Her angel appeared and smiled down at Jago. She was shorter than Lamb or Damascus and looked much younger, like Chrono herself. Unlike any of the other angels that Jago had met so far, her hair was very pale but not white. In fact it was a very pale blond, with a touch of silver, creating a very pretty effect. She bowed in greeting.

"Greetings Master Jago. I am Heart of Sterling Silver" she said. Jago smiled.

"Hello there" he said, smiling warmly. The little angel gave him a shy look.

"You fought my Mistress and yet you were still kind enough to bandage her hand". She blushed slightly. "As I said to my Mistress, it was no wonder that Mistress Lind has fallen for you". Chrono went red.

"Heart of Sterling Silver!" she said, looking embarrassed. Jago simply smiled.

"Cheeky isn't she" he said. "But don't worry, she's quite right. I think Lind has fallen for me" he said and then sighed sadly. "More fool her" he said.

"Why's that?" asked Chrono.

"I'll explain some other time" he said. It was then that the explosion came. The whole building shook and Jago, Chrono and the angels were blown out through the wall. Chrono landed on top of Jago and he gasped.

"You're heavier than you look" he said.

"Sorry" said Chrono and she pulled herself up. It was then that Urd appeared.

"What the Hell was that?" she shouted. Then they heard the laugh. That deep, rasping cackle which had once terrified the residence of the temple. Mara! The demon slowly descended, a ball of glowing energy in one hand.

"Your time has come goddesses!" she shouted. "I have come to destroy you once and for all!" She laughed as she threw another energy ball, destroying a large part of the temple. Skuld then appeared.

"You wicked old demon!" she shouted. "Banpei!" "ATTACK!" Her automated defence robot pulled itself out from under a pile of rubble and removed his hat so that his ears could begin pumping out rock music. Simultaneously, a rocket pod rose from the centre of his head and he fired off a full salvo at the demon. However when the smoke cleared, not only was Mara still there but she wasn't even dancing. She laughed.

"Your pony weapons are no match for my new defences!" she shouted and continued to throw energy balls. Skuld dodged but Banpei was destroyed, shattered into hundreds of pieces.  
"BANPEI!" Skuld shouted, kneeling before the wreckage of her favourite robot.

"That's it Mara!" Urd said. "You've gone too far!" Urd began to chant and then let fly at the demon with a powerful electric attack. However, the spell was deflected before it even reached her. "What?" said Urd, looking shocked. Mara descended to Earth, hands on hips, laughing.

"You don't get it do you?" she said. "I managed to acquire an item of legendary power!" She pulled a chain from around her neck and held up a strange looking brass amulet. "With this, I am protected from all magical attacks, as well as all lucky charms!" She then moved one hand to her ear and brushed her hair aside. "And with these earplugs, there is no way to make me listen to rock! SO now, there is no way you can defeat me!" She started to charge a new attack. "Now, prepare to be destroyed!" she said. Urd tried to block the attack but she was thrown back. She gasped.

"She's too strong!" she said. Then Mara launched another attack. It was aimed straight for Urd and would either sealed or destroyed the goddess for sure, with no possible way of it either being blocked or escaped. Mara laughed maniacally as she saw the ball hit. Then suddenly, the ball dispersed. Where it had been, Damascus now hovered, her eyes burning with rage.

"You leave my Master's friends alone!" she said, her teeth gritted. Mara was taken aback.

"An Arch? But where did you come from?" she said.

"That would be me" said Jago, as he stood and walked over to his devil. He then called out Lamb and she took up her place on his other side. Jago folded his arms and glared at the demon. "Wanna try it?" he asked.

"A human? With Archs? How could this be?" said Mara. She gritted her teeth and then gave a small smile. "Who cares? It's not like their magic can hurt me in here" she said and then grinned at the human. "You think you can take me human? Well try it!" Mara leapt forward, summoning a long, wickedly bladed sword and swung it at Jago. Lamb moved forward defensively, pulling Jago's khukuri free as she went. She blocked the attack and then swung the blade. It hissed past Mara's face, causing the demon to duck.

"You stay away from my Master!" she said and then began a series of great, haymaking chops, driving the demon back. Damascus also joined the fight. She may not be much of an actual fighter but what she could certainly keep the demon distracted with powerful spell attacks. Seeing an opening, Chrono and Heart of Sterling Silver raced in, working together to swing Chrono's poleaxe. Seconds later, Eir and Saga also charged in, swinging their cutlasses. Mara was a good fighter. One of the best. But when faced with such an overwhelming force, she was being slowly but surely beaten back. So it was time to play her trump card. Her devil. She took a step back and raised one hand.

"Come forth, Beautiful Chaos!" she said and the devil. She wore leather armour over most of her body, although with a bare belly and a low cut top. Her eyes and hair were as black as midnight and most worryingly, she carried a sword, identical to that of Mara. She grinned and then spoke in a voice like ice.

"Hello there. It's time for you to die!" and she fired off an energy pulse, sending the assembled beings flying.

8888

Lind was wondering the streets of Nekomi, bored out of her mind. She had failed to find any work. There were simply no jobs to be had for one with her kind of skills. She sighed. Plus, she was hungry. If only she had thought to ask Jago or Keiichi for some money for food. She sighed again. Living on the surface world was more difficult than she thought. It was then she felt the energy pulse. It was massive. Whatever had created it must not only be close but also powerful and most worryingly, very, very evil! She closed her eyes for a moment. Trying to find the location of the pulse.

"Come on, come on" she muttered and then she felt it. Her eyes shot open. Whatever it was, it was at the temple! She sprinted into the nearest ally and dove into a puddle. She hoped she would be there in time to stop the demon.

8888

Damascus and Lamb took the majority of the blast, sending them crashing into the ruins of the temple. They had done the best they could to shield the others with their wings but when they landed, they had heard several bones crack. Lamb was the first up, pulling herself onto one knee, still holding the khukuri in her right hand. Damascus placed a hand on her shoulder and used it to pull herself up.

"You ok?" the devil asked. Lamb snorted.

"That was nothing". Then she chuckled. "Like you really care". Pulled herself to her feet and then prepared to attack the demon again. Mara was impressed. They may be controlled by a human but these two were tough. They had taken a direct hit from Beautiful Chaos's devastation beam yet were still able to fight. She grinned. It wouldn't matter. They couldn't touch her. She was Mara! Invincible Mara! Then Jago stepped forward.

"You two stand down" he said quietly, his face unsmiling.

"But Master!" Lamb and Damascus said together.

"Don't worry, I have a plan" he said. He then realised something. "Damascus. You called me Master". The devil blushed and looked away.

"Slip of the tongue" she muttered.

"If you say so" Jago said and then he walked forward, until he was ten paces from Mara.

"You must be Mara. I'm Jago" he said. Mara grunted.

"I don't care who you are. If I kill you now, then those Archs die and I can finish the job I started". Jago nodded and fished in his pocket for a cigarette and then held it between his lips.

"I would if I were you" he said. He started patting his pockets, apparently searching for a lighter. "You see" he said around the cigarette, "I'm the one who's going to beat you". He found a lighter and lit up, taking a puff.

"And how do you plan to do that?" said Beautiful Chaos with a smirk.

"Like this" Jago said pocketing the lighter and then, with a flick of his wrist, he tore a concealed packet he had hidden on his palm and tossed the contents at the demon. It looked fairly harmless. Just a pale grey powder. But its effects on Mara were anything but harmless. As the powder hit her, it gave an electrical discharge and she screamed, as if on she were on fire. She collapsed, writhing and then Jago walked up to her.

"Old magic" he said. "To bind a demon, use salt to burn their flash and iron fillings to drain their magic". He took the cigarette from between his teeth and looked down at her. "Never underestimate a Dartmoor boy. Especially one whose mum is a white witch" he said. Eventually, the others began to make their way over, mostly leaning on each other for support. The crowded around the demon and looked down.

"Will she be alright?" Urd asked. Jago looked across at her.

"Should be" he said, bending low to inspect the amulet. "It was only a little salt and iron. Everyone knows that's how you beat a demon. She should be able to move again in just a few minutes. In the meantime…" he said and pulled a short steel folding knife from his pocket. Mara's eyes went wide with fear but instead of attacking her, he simply cut the leather thong that held the amulet in place. It was at this point that Lind arrived. She was breathless, having travelled as fast as possible to get there. She looked around, taking in the destroyed temple, the battered goddesses and angels and the paralyzed demon all in the space of a second.

"What. The Hell. Is going on?" she asked, between breaths. Skuld piped up.

"Mara attacked us using some kind of new device that stops magic. So Jago threw something at her and it paralyzed her!" she said. Lind came over to the demon and looked down.

"I that so?" she said and then turned to Jago. "How did you do it?" she asked. Jago shrugged.

"Like I said, salt and iron fillings". At this point Mara began to twitch. Her devil was able to retract inside her and she began to breathe more easily. Jago turned his attention to her. "Now you, "he said, "You're going to be able to move again in a second. If you try anything, I will shank you one. Understand? Blink twice for yes". Mara blinked twice. "Good" Jago said. He turned to Lamb. "Could you go back to the house and find me my silver chain?" he asked. "Second draw down of the desk, left side. Oh and my hittin' stick". She nodded and disappeared to fetch them.

"Why would you need a silver chain and a stick?" asked Urd.

"Well, I wanna talk to this demon and I don't want her to escape before I get that chance and to do that, you use a silver chain. Plus, my hittin' stick is made of rowan wood which is traditionally what you use to dispel harmful magic's. Now I don't know if it works but even if it doesn't, it's a big, heavy piece of wood with a knob on the end; good for clubbing with". It was then that Belldandy appeared. She shot from a shard of broken mirror and landed beside the crowd.

"I'm sorry I took so long to get here!" she said. "I felt that Mara was attacking and came as soon as I could!" She then saw what had happened to Mara. "My word, what happened here". Jago opened his mouth to answer but thought better of it and let Skuld explain. By this point, Lamb had returned, carrying his stick and a fine silver chain.

"Thank you" he said, taking them from her and then turned to Mara. He pulled her into a seating position and began to bind her hands with the chain. At last he stood and Mara was able to move but now unable to escape, with both her hands bound. "Right then" Jago said. "Explain". Mara took a deep breath.

"HOW DARE YOU IMPRISSON ME IN THIS WAY!" she shouted. "YOU BASTARD OF A HUMAN! HOW COULD YOU BIND A FIRST CLASS DEMON WITH TECHNIQUES WHICH SHOULDN'T EVEN MAKE A FLY BLINK! WHY, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU…!" It continued like this for quite some time. At last Jago had had enough. He grunted, lifted his tick high and brought it down hard on Mara's head. Several of the assembled goddesses gasped at the sudden, viscous attack but it defiantly shut Mara up for a few minutes. Jago took a deep breath.

"Now look. I don't want to hurt you but I'm in no mood for a ranting demon. Now, I would like you to explain why you are here and what you were doing, trying to blow us up, which I'm pretty sure is against the rules". Mara opened up her mouth to speak but Jago held up a hand. "However, if you start ranting and raving again, I will hit you with my stick. Got that?" Mara nodded.

"Ok, let me explain" she said. "I found that amulet whilst looking for the Lord of Terror's urn. At the time, I didn't know what it was, just some crappy trinket. But my research had since led me to believe that it was actually the legendary Charm of Ultimate Protection. As you may know, it's said that whoever controls the charm will have complete protection from all magical spells but what it doesn't say is that while it is in use, in makes you incredibly aggressive. That's probably why I ended up attacking you". Then Mara sighed. "To be honest, I'm tired of this gag. I make plans, I attack, I start to win and then you guys beat me. If I could, I would leave the demons and just live here on Earth but that wouldn't work". Jago cocked his head.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because, if they found out I had deserted, they would send the Niflguard to hunt me down!"

"The Niflguard?" asked Skuld.

"Hell's Valkyrie equivalent" said Lind. "Ruthless in every sense of the word. If they were to be dispatched, there would be little that even I could do against them".

"Exactly" said Mara. "So basically, my choices are either to keep fighting or to go back to Hell. And that's not really an option, as Hild would have my hide". Jago nodded.

"I see your problem". He sat down, cross legged in front of Mara. "But we can't have you attacking us anymore". He blew through his lips. At last, he thought of something. "Ok, I may have a solution. It won't be perfect. It's probably going to cause us all trouble in the long run but it might work". He stood, walk behind Mara and untied her hands. "Do you promise, if I help you, to not cause any more trouble?" he asked. Mara nodded, massaging some life back into her hands.

"Sure, whatever. But I don't see what you could do that would help". Jago snorted.

"Oh come yea of little faith!" he said and then turned to the group. "Right, first things first, we'd better get this house rebuilt. Then" and he shuddered, "I have to make a phone call".

8888

Hell. Hild's throne room. The vast chamber had changed little since the Hagall incident, although now, the field of flowers was now gone. Hild sat alone in the room, using a file to keep her nails trip. She may be the Lady of Hell but there were some things that were always done best by hand. Plus, it gave her time to herself so she could think. This man, Jago. Twoarchs. That was what they were calling him, in both Heaven and Hell. The talk of the month. The man who adopted a pair of Archs and survived. He may be of some use. It was then that her phone rang. She gave a tiny grunt of frustration. Every time she had a moment to herself! She pulled out her mobile and checked the screen. She smiled. While she didn't recognise the number, there were only a handful who knew her personal one. And of those, only one would have the audacity to call her using a mobile. She clicked it open.

"Jago" she said. "It's been a while".

The newly rebuilt temple. Jago was sat on the step, his battered mobile in one hand, a mug of builder's tea in the other.

"You're right Hild" he said. The temple occupants plus Mara were all hovering nearby, not so close so that they appeared to be eaves dropping but closer enough to actually eaves-drop.

"I can't believe he's actually phoning her!" Urd said. "Does he really know no fear? And how did he get my mother's number anyway?" Lind looked at her.

"I don't think he's fearless; he certainly seemed a bit nervous about calling her. But he is brave. As to how he got her number, he asked her for it".

"What!?" said Urd.

"Shut up!" whispered Skuld. "I can't hear what he's saying!" Their attention turned back to Jago. While they couldn't hear Hild's replies, it was pretty clear what they were talking about.

"Yes. Yes. Yes, they're fine. Aye, she's moved into the temple". There was a pause. "Well I'm not gonna tell you that!" he said with a chuckle. He continued. "Anyway, it's about Mara. No, not too much of a problem. No. Some magic amulet that makes you tough but grouchy. Aye, that's the one. Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favour?" Another pause. "I was wondering if you would consider letting Mara stay here". Another pause. "No, there's no need for that". He thought for a second. "Rather than sending the Niflgaurd, why not just place her on long-term leave? Unpaid of cause". A much longer pause. "Well, I've started a business and I reckon that I can support her. Aye. Aye. That sounds reasonable. Yes. Ok. That's excellent! Ok. Yep, you take care of yourself. Bye!" and he clicked the phone off.

"Well, what's happening then?" Mara asked. Jago grinned.

"Mara, you're moving in!"

*1 Heavenly chess is similar to Earth chess but with twice as many pieces, half representing gods, the other angels. Two moves can be made each turn and two of the same piece can occupy one square but if either the of the god or angel pieces in pair are removed, then the other in the pair must also be removed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**The Vain Rose, a Halberd and the Angel-Eater**

The darkened room on another plane. The two figures, the man and the woman sat opposite one another, wreathed in shadows. The wine had long since been replaced by a checked board, resembling a chess board. However unlike a chess board, every piece was unique. Some were humanoid beings. Some were foul and terrible monsters. Some were so contorted that simply to look at them would drain the sanity of any normal man. But not these two. It was the woman who spoke first.

"I see your plan failed. The Arch still lives". The man grunted.

"She is no threat. Her fall destroyed her body so now she must inhabit that of a lowly human".

"That may be so, but what of her memories? We know that she has been in contact with Hild. Could it be possible that they already know?" The man shook his head.

"Her memories were automatically sealed when the human made his wish. There is no way that she could recall her warning". The woman sighed.

"While that may be true, is it still possible that she could somehow regain them? Anyway at all?" The man scratched his chin.

"I doubt it Lady. She is weak. Without direct authority from the Almighty, there is no way that she would be restored, no way for them of the rebellion". The woman shifted slightly.

"But what of this other Arch? The former Nightmare? Could she access them?" The man though for a second.

"It is possible. I hear that she is wayward, despising her human master, as she should but if commanded to, she could restore the Angel's memories". The two were silent for a time. Then the man spoke. "What shall we do? Our assassination has already attracted too much attention. I know is investigating personally, the fool. She won't find anything but it will make another attack more difficult". The woman was silent for a time but eventually spoke.

"A direst attack won't work. We have to be sure this time". She moved a hand over the selection of pieces. Occasionally stopping to pick up a random piece. At last she stopped at one piece; a horrific cross between a centipede and a lizard. A piece that would be familiar to the temple residents. "Perhaps we should try the Angel-Eater?" she said. The man's face may have been hidden but his voice clearly chowed doubt.

"Is that wise? They have faced that creature before and triumphed. What is to say that they won't do so again?" He paused for a second. "Plus" he said, "Lind is there". The woman scoffed.

"Lind? That whore of a failed Valkyrie? I thought you said she had been stripped of her powers".

"Most of them. Her powers were greatly reduced; she is limited to roughly the same strength as Belldandy and can no longer carry a heavenly weapon. However, she is still the most accomplished melee fighter that Heaven has ever had and if back up by those other goddesses, then she may prove to be a problem.".

"This may be true" the woman said, "But if we use surprise, we may be able to neutralize the other threats before she and Twoarchs can retaliate". She could still see the man's concern. "At the very least, let us test their strength. If the plan is successful and the creature devours the Archs then that is fine. If it fails; well…. We will know to send a stronger monster next time. In fact, a failure would be useful for it may help to sow distrust between them and Hild. With luck, it may even start a war, although this seems unlikely. If this were to happen, it would make our job a lot easier". The man sighed and conceded.

"Ok, we send the Angel-Eater". He thought for a second. "But if it fails, then we begin the first phase of the attack. We can't afford for any more of their forces to reach Earth". He paused again. "How shall we do it?" The woman snorted.

"That's easy" she said. "We do what Hild did and bind the Angel-Eater to someone they trust, preferably a friend. Also, preferably a system administrator; someone who might be able to restore the system after phase one". The man nodded.

"In that case, I have just the one" he said.

"Who?"

"The Vain Rose". The woman smiled.

"Yes, she will do nicely" she said. The man stood and turned to leave.

"I hope this works. Kronos must rise!"

"Yes, Kronos must rise!"

8888

The inhabitants of the Tarikihongan Temple and what was officially called "Jago's house" but was still known affectionately as "Buggerup", thanks to Jago's sign, had fallen into a routine. Every morning, Jago would eat breakfast alone with "his girls", as he called them and then would meet the others at the temple. Belldandy and Keiichi would then disappear off to work, while Mara and Lind got ready for work. Mara, since moving into the temples last remaining spare room, had become a fairly quiet addition to the temple, although she tended to cheat when it came to the games that they played for TV rights. She had also been recently promoted to full manager at the convenience store, meaning that she was able to work full time. Lind on the other hand had finally managed to find herself a job, waiting tables at a local dinner. She hated the job but as the others had explained, it was just about all that any of them were qualified for, so it was either that or work with Mara. It had become Jago's job to make sure that they got to work on time, which meant giving them lifts to and from work, in his Unimog. Not that he minded. It meant he could catch the morning news over the radio.

After returning home from the drop-off, he would check on Skuld, to see whether she had any specific requests for machine parts, so she didn't need to cannibalise Keiichi''s stuff. They would then fire up the forge and get to work making all those things that could be made of metal. Everything from novelty items such as swords and decorative weapons, to tools, to car parts, to the most exquisite pieces of jewellery. Damascus wasn't much of a fan of the iron work, for while her human master protected her from any ill effects; it still made her ill to be around too much of it. What was discovered however was that she had quite a good eye for the small, fiddly projects such as watch repair; jobs which Jago's big hands were not best suited for. She would sometimes spend hours carefully filling down new gears and cutting springs to make the pieces work perfectly. But she still refused to call Jago Master. After the Mara attack incident (following which, Jago had dropped the amulet in a heavily weighted box under one of the water-wheels, making it insanely dangerous to get at), she hadn't called him Master at all. This saddened Jago but he didn't say, knowing full well that the devil was still hurting inside.

Once the day's orders were complete and had been sent off, Jago would join Chrono on the front lawn for sparring practice. Chrono welcomed this as it gave her a chance to try her skills against a powerful opponent. He may not be as strong physically as her but his stamina was incredible, matched only by his speed and it was a rare match that she walked away form without at least a few new cuts and scrapes. During some of these matches, they would be joined by Eir and Saga, both eager to try their hand at defeating the English giant. However, it was found that it took the combined efforts of all three of them to match him without the help of Astrakhan Lamb and they knew that if he had her help, there would be very few who could challenge him. On rare occasions, Skuld and even Urd would join them, each wielding their long hammers and then Jago would call back Lamb and then all five of them would attack him at once, trying in vain to land a single blow. By evening, they would all be exhausted and would have to end their practice upon Keiichi and Belldandy's return home, at which point Jago would drive off to fetch Mara and Lind.

Dinner would then be a joint affair. Jago would generally have some slow-cooking meat dish in the oven that would be ready for when they got back, leaving Belldandy to prepare the rest of the meal. At one point, Lind had tried to volunteer a meal but was banned from the kitchen after Jago had walked in and had almost been eaten by a carnivorous spaghetti monster. It had taken four of them to wrestle the beast into submission and then nearly three days to eat the bloody thing! However, this was soon forgotten and every meal was filled with smiles and laughter. After dinner, they would each separate, each going about whatever activities they wanted or needed to do before the next day. And then, they would all head off to bed. Jago was generally one of the last to retire, making his way back to his cottage by the light of an old oil lantern that he had made especially for the purpose. He would lock up, warm the house for the evening, have his night-cap and then head to bed, knowing full well that within an hour or two, Lind would be there to join him. She would always be gone by morning, for appearances sake but this was fine. So long as she was happy. He never saw her leave. He would simply wake up the next morning with just him in the bed. But he felt her go. She would kiss him lightly, just enough to wake him, he would hear the thump and click of the door, he would smile and then go back to sleep, dreaming of her. His Lind. It continued like this for the better part of a month. A simple, happy life. It was then that Peorth arrived. It was then that the "Oldest Storm" broke.

It hadn't been the best of days for Keiichi and Belldandy. They had been late to work due to traffic, giving Chihiro an unusually bad temper. This was followed by a generally bad day at work. Several customers had either been late or had failed to show up altogether. One had been unusually abusive and had to be dispatched with the quick application of Chihiro's twelve-pound monkey wrench. It was on the way home that more problems arose: Keiichi's treasured bike broke down and they had to wait for Jago to begin his evening pickup before they were able to make it home.

"Thanks for that" Keiichi said to Jago as they unloaded his motorcycle from the back of Jago's truck. "If you hadn't come along, we could have been stuck for hours". Jago nodded, smiling.

"It's alright mate" he said. At least your home safe and sound" he said. He clapped his hands together. "Right, I better get cracking. I haven't had time to put the spag-bol on yet" and they headed for the house. Jago pushed open the door as was about to step inside when suddenly something rushed him.

"Keiichi!" said an unfamiliar voice and Jago looked down to see a brunette in tightly fitting latex and leather outfit hugging him hard around the middle. "My Keiichi, you've put on weight!" she said. Jago grinned, bent forward and whispered to her.

"I'm not Keiichi "he said in English. The woman's eyes shot open and she looked up into an unfamiliar face.

"AHHH! A Bear!" she screamed and scurried backward, trying to put some distance between her and Jago. Jago nearly broke down laughing at this.

"That's a bit much isn't it?" he said. "I may have wild hair and beard you could lose a badger in but I wasn't a bear the last time I checked!" I was then that Belldandy stepped forward, her face breaking into smiles as she saw the new arrival.

"Peorth! It's so good to see you!" she said as she raced forward and hugged her. Peorth stood there for a second, still stunned by her encounter with Jago but then she seemed to regain her composure and returned the hug.

"It's good to see you too Belldandy" she said. Keiichi then entered, flinching a bit when he spotted Peorth but managed a smile just the same.

"High Peorth" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh Keiichi!" Peorth said and broke her hug with Belldandy and charged Keiichi, almost bowling the poor man over. "I've missed you so much!" she said, crushing him.

"I missed you too Peorth" he managed.

"What brings you to Earth?" Belldandy asked. Peorth finally released Keiichi.

"Well" she said, "The higher-ups told me that it was about time for me to take a break, so I decided to come and visit".

"Oh, how wonderful!" Belldandy said.

"Easy for you to say" muttered Lind. Peorth was taken aback by the sight of the new goddess.

"Lind! What are you doing here? I thought you had been banished". Lind nodded.

"I have been. But they said that I was to continue to watch over the temple for now, particularly since Jago moved in".

"Who's Jago?" Peorth asked.

"That would be me. Jago, at your service!" he said and stepped forward and offered a hand. Peorth took it reluctantly but was reassured by the warmth that she felt in the exchange.

"So you're Jago?" she asked. "Why would Lind need to look after you?" Jago shrugged.

"Perhaps my girls?" he offered.

"Your girls?"  
"He means his Archs" said Lind. Peorth nearly jumped out of her skin.

"HE'S TWOARCHS!?" she shouted.

"Yep" Jago said.

"But-but-but he's so….." Peorth said but trailed off.

"Well this is all very touching" said Mara, "But I'm starving and dinner isn't even in the oven yet. So if it isn't too much trouble?" Belldandy nodded.

"Keiichi, if you wouldn't mind showing Peorth into the tea room, I'll get dinner ready. Would you mind helping, Jago?" she asked.

"Aye, no worries" he said and followed her into the kitchen, leaving Keiichi to lead Peorth and Lind into the tearoom. In the meantime, Mara disappeared and they knew she wouldn't appear again until dinner was ready. Once seated around the table, Peorth and Keiichi began to talk animatedly about what had happened to each since they had last seen one another while Lind sat quietly, her arms folded and eyes closed. While she and Peorth got along well, they had never really been friends and she knew that life would be chaotic for a while, at least until she disappeared. She was hardly paying attention when she heard Keiichi leaving.

"…don't I go and make some tea?" he said. "That should give you chance to catch up with Lind". Lind opened her eyes just in time see Keiichi slide the door closed behind him. Peorth turned to her and smiled wickedly.

"So…." Peorth said.

"What?"

"You know what. Did you and Twoarchs really do it?" Lind flushed red.

"How dare you!" she said. "There is no way you could know that!" Peorth laughed.

"So that's a yes then?" She giggled at Lind's expression. "There's no point being modest. You're the talk of Heaven! The mighty Lind! The Valkyrie who fell for the human Arch-thief!" Lind looked like she was about to argue but decided against it. She nodded.

"Yes, I slept with him. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Peorth's face broke into smiles.

"I knew it!" She leaned closer to Lind. "Was he good?"

"What?"

"Was he any good? In bed I mean". Lind continued to blush but nodded.

"Yes" she said simple. Peorth's grin widened.

"Then you will have to lend him to me at some point".

"WHAT!" Peorth giggled.

"I was kidding you know".

8888

Dinner was unusually noisy. Peorth, Urd and Skuld fought constantly over the various dishes while Mara tried to sneak off with the last portion of spag-bol. Afterwards, Jago was forced to break into his stock of vodka and almost broke down in tears as he watched it disappear. Seven bottles of the stuff were gone by the end of the evening. After dinner, several of them decided to compete to see who got to choose what was watched on TV. At this point Jago beat a hasty retreat, saying that there was still work that he needed to take care of in the forge. In truth there was: he was attempting to make a claymore for himself, to put him on a more equal footing during his duels with Chrono. While he would never admit it, after every match his forearms would be covered with huge purple and green bruises and while he liked his khukuri, it could only be wielded in one hand and wasn't great for defence. To add to the challenge, he was making the weapon from meteoric Damascus steel and he wouldn't allow Lamb to help him. Damascus herself wasn't bothered; she just wanted to have some peace. So far Jago had forged the blade three times but each time it hadn't been quite right so he would melt it down and start again. It was late in the fourth attempt that Lind appeared. Jago didn't see her at first, so absorbed in is his was he. For a while she stood and watched him. Standing before the forge, he was a truly impressive sight. Six foot of muscle with less fat than she had originally seen him with but still enough to give him an impressive bulk. He worked shirtless, just a leather apron and a pair of thick gloves protected him from the hot sparks which leapt up whenever he struck the blade. His skin shone in the light of the fire, giving him a devilish red aurar. Even above the sound of the hammer, she could hear the occasional grunt as he struck the metal with a particularly hard stroke. It was nearly twenty minutes before he spotted her. He was just quenching the blade when he saw her and he grinned.

"Been there a while?" he asked and accepted a cloth from Lamb so he could wipe his face. Lind nodded.

"Peorth was driving me mad so I had to get out of the house. I went for a walk in the woods, heard you working and decided to see what you actually do in here". Jago nodded.

"Sounds fair". He hefted the quenched blade and held it to his eye, inspecting the edge and then the breadth of the weapon. It was better than the others had been, good enough to use. He looked up at Lind. "When I finish this, we've got to have ourselves a match, you know". Lind cocked her head.

"A match? How? I don't have a weapon". It was Jago's turn to look confused.

"I thought you had that big old halberd" he said, setting down the half-finished blade. Lind nodded.

"I did" she said. "But when I was discharged, it was destroyed. Also, as a term of my suspension I am not allowed to carry any weapon that has been forged in Heaven". Jago nodded, looking sad.

"I see" he said. "A pity. I would have liked to see your fighting powers. I mean, with Lamb's help, I can easily beat the others, even in a combined attack so I was looking forward to facing someone who could really challenge me". He sat down on an anvil and put his chin on one hand. "If only I could make something that could match your old axe but I don't have that skill. Plus you probably wouldn't be allowed to carry it". It was then that Damascus piped up.

"Perhaps you can help her" she said. Jago turned to his devil.

"Say what?"  
"Perhaps you can help her is what I said" she said with exasperation. Gave her a look.

"What do you mean Damascus?" she asked.

"I mean" the devil said, "That he could indeed recreate Lind's axe. So long as he did it without the use of magic, it would be seen as an Earthly weapon and so she could carry it without fear of punishment".

"But I don't think I can make something like that" Jago said. Damascus smirked.

"You really are pathetic" she said. "_You don't think?_ What kind of a man are you if you don't try". Lamb bristled.

"You leave Master alone" she said, clearly boiling with rage. Damascus raised an eyebrow.

"You going to stop me _flutterbird_?" she said. "You're no better than he is. You're so weak. So is he. I'm ashamed to share the same body as the pair of you". Lamb growled.

"You shut up now!" she said through gritted teeth. Damascus sneered.

"You going to make me? Look at you. You can barely use magic. All you can do is fight. I'm ashamed to call you a fellow Arch. What good are you? You are little more than a hindrance to this man! He may be pathetic but at least he isn't a subservient little bitch with no personality!"

"Hey…" Jago said as a warning but not to Damascus. He could feel Lambs rage and knew she was about to explode. Lind could also feel the building tension and was prepared pull the two apart if they actually started to fight.

"What?" Damascus said, ignoring Jago and continuing to stare at Lamb. "You think you can take me? The one who so willingly abandoned her former Mistress? The traitor? The whore? The-"but she was cut off as Lamb launched herself at the devil. She grappled her and pinned her to the floor, punching the her viciously. Damascus retaliated, raking her claws across Lamb's midriff. However, this only served to enrage the angel who continued to pound the demon. Within a few seconds though, she felt a massive arm wrap around her, lifting her bodily off of Damascus and holing her clear of the devils claws. She winced as she saw one last swipe from the demon miss her completely but cut deeply into Jago's right forearm, causing a jet of dark red blood. Damascus was on her feet in seconds, daggers in her eyes and looking like she could kill Lamb but before she could take a step, Lind, Spear Mint and Cool Mint all had her restrained. It was then that Jago spoke.

"It's alright Lamb" he said. "She didn't mean it". He loosened his grip and allowed the angel to put her feet back on the ground. Astrakhan Lamb turned to him, looking flushed.

"But master! She insulted me and worse, she insulted you!" she said, tears in her eyes.

"Yes" he said. "But it was for a reason. She wanted me to get fired up, to try and prove that she was wrong". Damascus, who had also been released, nodded.

"That's right" she said. "I was just trying to motivate him". She looked sheepish." Unfortunately, I got a bit carried away". Lamb looked unsure but nodded. The she felt it. The warm liquid on her. She looked down. Her stomach was covered in blood. But not hers. When she bled, she didn't bleed red. She turned to Jago and saw the long, deep gash that Damascus had given him.

"Master!" she said and took hold of his arm. He tried to pull away but in her determination to inspect her Master's wound, she used all of her Arch strength to resist him. He couldn't even budge his arm from her slight but powerful hands. "This is awful! Master, I must heal this at once!" She began chanting a healing spell but Jago clapped a hand down over the top of the wound, preventing the magic from reaching it. Lamb looked at him in distress. "Master, I must heal this at once!" she said.

"Oh no you don't!" he said. Lamb was perplexed.

"But Master? This is a pretty serious cut. If we leave it like this, it will get infected or worse. You must let me heal it!" Jago shook his head and looked over at Lind.

"Other than a scar, will this cause any permanent damage?" he asked. Lind and Damascus both came over and inspected the gash.

"Not as it is" said Lind. "But Lamb is right; you should let her heal it". Again Jago shook his head.

"Not happening" he said. Then, with a surprising amount of force, he was able to pull his arm free from Lamb's grip".

"Master!" she aid but he had already turned away. He headed to his house, went inside and started fumbling around in the kitchen, eventually returning with a portable medical kit, a roll of masking tape, a jar of honey and a bottle of vinegar. He set them all out on the kitchen table and then began to attend to his wound. First, he removed a small fishing hook from the kit and a line of thread and handed them to Lind.

"Attach these together to on another would you?" he said and Lind nodded while Jago pulled the bottle of vinegar over. He gritted his teeth and used it to flush out the wound, sterilising it. From the hiss he gave though, it was clear that it was agony. He then took the heaven and smeared a small amount into the cut.

"What are you doing Master?" Lamb asked.

"I sterilised the wound with vinegar and honey is an anti-septic so I'm using it to keep it clean". He then looked up at Lind. "Is that thread ready yet?" he asked. She nodded and handed it back. He took it and then began the most painful part. He pushed the hook into his arm and then started to use it to stitch the wound. It took a few minutes while Lamb and Damascus watched in horror at the gory spectacle. Eventually though, Jago's arm was stitched and he moved to the sink to wash off the excess blood. Lind looked at him curiously.

"Why wouldn't you let us help?" she asked. "It would have been a lot quicker and much less painful if you had just let us heal your arm". Jago looked up at her, shaking the water from his arm.

"It was something I read once" he said. "You ever read anything by a man called Terry Pratchett?" he asked. Lind shook her head. "Really? Good author. Very funny". He reached around to a bookcase and pulled out an old copy of one of the novels, the Colour of Magic. "Anyway, one of his main characters is a witch called Granny Weatherwax, a most extraordinary woman. Now I may need to explain things. I don't know whether you know the term "power corrupts" but it's true. It the case of Granny Weatherwax, this is a problem because she has major power. With me so far?" Lind nodded. "Well, one of the problems that witches face, particularly powerful ones is something called _cackling_. Basically, being a witch is a thankless task and they don't make many friends and so there is always the chance that they may go slightly iffy. And for someone with magic, that's bad. For example, you break something. Something rare and expensive. Something that will be very difficult to replace. So you fix it with magic. Just a little. You know, it won't ever hurt anyone. But it's started. Pretty soon, you start using magic to fix anything. Why not, it's your power? Who will it hurt? And why stop at fixing things? Why not use it to clean the house? Do the laundry? Chop the wood? All those little tasks that take so long every day? From there, it's all downhill. Use magic to remove that tree that has always blocked the view from the window. Use magic to kill those mites that are eating all crops in the garden. And then someone come to you for help. That's what the witches are for: they help people. Now normally, someone like Granny Weatherwax would use awe, common sense, hard work and _headology_, something like phycology to sort things out. But now you're using magic to fix things, why not use it to fix the persons problems? Job done. Now you will probably use magic to fix all their problems. Every time people need help, just magic them better. But not just that. What about that old Alex? He never shows respect. One such as you should get respect from all. You use magic to trip him". Jago looked up. "Can you see where this is going?" he asked. Lind nodded.

"If she uses magic to trip him, why not make sure he always shows respect? Always make him crawl at your feet. Make everyone crawl".

"Aye that's it" Jago said. "But what if they won't show respect? Well magic has solved all your problems so far, so if they won't respect you, you use magic to make them fear you". He drew one finger across his throat. "Not someone important. Someone cruel. The town drunk. Someone who was a pain to everyone. What harm will it do? In fact it helps people. But will you stop there?" Lind nodded.

"I see but what has that got to do with your arm?" Jago sighed.

"I now have that kind of power. And angels have to obey their masters" he nodded at Lamb. "I know from experience, that I'm not the strongest willed person in the world. And while I would try to use my power to help people. But eventually, I could still end up _cackling_. Not something I want". Lind looked at him.

"So you're protecting yourself from yourself?" Jago nodded and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

"Close enough" he said. He took a puff. "And if I turn, make sure I die alright? Don't let me hurt people". Lind nodded solemnly and Jago grinned.

"Good. Right, what were we talking about before I went off on a tangent?" Damascus cleared her throat.

"You were going to remake Lind's axe" she said.

"Ah, yes!" Jago said and stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray before tucking it behind one ear. "Come on Lind, we got work to do".

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A while later, Lind and Jago stood facing one another.

"Go on then" Jago said. "Show me how you fight?" and he gestured to the piece of scaffolding that Lind was holding.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Pretend that that bar is an axe. Just show me how you would use it". Lind cocked her head.

"How do you mean?" Jago sighed.

"I need to know what style of poleaxe to make. What style of blade? What type of back weapon? A hook? A blade? How much do you use the top spike? How long should it be? That sort of thing. I can work it out from watching you". Lind nodded.

"Ok" she said and began to move through a series of combat poses, slowly increasing in speed until to the casual observer, she would appear as nothing more than a blur. But to Jago, it was all information. All useful. At last Lind stopped, panting. "Was that enough?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"That will do nicely" he said and then led the way into the forge. Lind followed but to her surprise, he tossed her an apron as she entered the room.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Well, I can't use magic to make this thing so I probably can't use Lamb and Damascus. So I need someone to help me". He grinned at the look on Lind's face. "Don't worry; I'll be doing the most important stuff. You just need to help with the shaping". He scratched his head. "One thing though; you have to do this alone so your girls can't help. Don't worry, Lamb can look after them". Astrakhan Lamb nodded. "I will keep them safe" she said. Lind nodded and allowed Spear Mint and Cool Mint out. The two angels smiled at their mistress and then followed Lamb and Damascus as they left the forge, leaving Lind and Jago alone.

"Ok then" Lind said. "What do I need to do to help?"

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It was well after dark when the weapon was finished. After the initial shaping, Jago had dismissed Lind, saying he needed to concentrate to fully work the blade. She found her angels in Jago's house, where Cool Mint was trying to play poker against Damascus while Spear Mint was watching TV. Lamb had disappeared for a while, not being used to company and was apparently reading in Jago's room. It was several hours when Jago finally appeared. He looked exhausted but his grin said it all. He was finished.

"Lind" he said, "I'm not sure when your birthday is but you can consider this an early present" and he held out the poleaxe. It was beautiful. It Was six and a half feet long and unlike Lind's previous weapons which had all been poleaxes and therefore the blades had been from several pieces of joined metal, this was a proper halberd and so the entire head was a single, skilfully crafted piece of metal. The haft was polished _Lignum vitae_, the toughest wood in existence, so strong that it was nearly fire-proof. The blade was polished Damascus steel, so finally worked that the surface seemed to flow. At the rear of the blade was a smaller, backward facing weapon: a spike so sharp that it could puncture even the toughest of armour and it was tipped by another long spike, nearly ten inches long and bladed on both sides. Lind took it reverently and felt its weight; well balanced, strong, powerful. She ran a finger along the edge of the blade; keen as a razor and twice as sharp. It was then that she saw the carving he had made on the blade, a tinny rearing griffin.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the animal. Jago leaned closer and inspected it.

"Ah, that would be a griffin" he said. "My family used to have a coat of arms which included a trio of rearing griffins and every blacksmith needs a mark, so people know who made it. So, I chose a griffin". Lind nodded and continued to inspect the axe. She then spotted the second carving. Half-way down the haft, in tiny letter was a message: "To Lind, From Jago" in flowing script. Jago saw the look on her face as she read it and smiled. "So you remember me" he said. Lind looked at him, a tear in her eye. Then she punched him.

"You soft, sentimental bastard" she said. Jago grinned.

"That's me. And now" he said, pulling something out from behind his shoulder, "how about we christen our new weapons?" In his hands, he now held his claymore. It was a simple weapon; a four foot long blade of Damascus steel with a forward pointing cross-guard and a hilt of polished wood, large enough to comfortably accommodate two hands, ending in a large knob of hardened steel. Lind nodded and called over her angels.

"I hope you're ready for this" she said. Jago nodded as he called over his Archs.

"You better not underestimate me" he said. "I may not be as strong as a Valkyrie but I'm no pushover". The pair headed outside and then turned to face one another, weapons at the ready. They nodded to one another. They waited, each waiting for the other to move first. Then they both struck.

Belldandy had gone outside to get some fresh air when she heard the commotion, the rattle and screech of steel on steel that was coming from the direction of Jago's house. Disturbed, she decided to investigate. Eventually she reached the house and what she saw shocked her; Lind and Jago were locked in a deadly melee, each fighting to get an advantage over the other. Lind's pole axe had greater reach and so she could keep Jago at arm's length but Jago was countering by taking advantage of Lind's longer recovery time after each attack by stepping inside her reach, where she couldn't easily manoeuvre her blade. It was clear that they were evenly matched and they had begun to use more difficult moves to win their match. When Lind made a long, swinging slash at Jago's midriff, he would block with the flat of his blade, reverse his weapon and use the knob on the hilt to attempt a bone crushing punch. If he attempted a short, sharp thrust, she would catch the blade on her rear spike and then flick sideways, attempting to pull the sword from his hands. They continued for nearly an hour, until they eventually broke and stood apart, exhausted. It was then that Belldandy spoke.

"That was beautiful!" she said. Lind looked up at her.

"I didn't think you approved of fighting" she said but was clearly pleased. But Belldandy shook her head.

"You two weren't really fighting, just sparing and it was truly beautiful to behold. Like to people in a complicated dance". She blushed. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I was just curious as to what all of the noise was". Jago waved vaguely in dismissal.

"Salright" he said, "We probably should stop now anyway, before we hurt ourselves in the dark". He straightened himself. "Now, how about a brew before bed. Sunday tomorrow so hopefully no work". Belldandy and Lind both nodded.

"That sounds nice" Belldandy said and she smiled. Jago grinned back and led them inside. Before long, they were sat around the fire, waiting for the kettle to boil. After a while, Lind spoke up.

"What are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" she asked. "With Peorth here, there isn't enough room for us all, not unless Jago puts an extension onto the main house". Jago looked up and snorted.

"Bugger that for a game of soldiers!" he said. "I ain't building nothing at this time of night!" Belldandy nodded. She had a solution, it had been discussed by the others after Lind had left but she wasn't sure how to voice it. Jago saw her look and decided to ask her. "What's up Bell? Got an idea there?" he asked. Belldandy nodded again.

"we were talking about this earlier and in the end we came up with one solution. Basically" and she said this blushing, "I move in with Keiichi for now". Lind nodded but Belldandy had more. "However, we would also need to free up one extra room so the plan was that Chrono would move in with Skuld and" and she was barely able to meet their eyes, "Lind moves in here".

The room went very quiet as Jago and Lind considered what had just been said. After a while, Jago spoke.

"Sounds like a plan" he said. Lind gave him a stern look.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I don't want people to know we're actually together!" Then she blushed. "It's not that I'm ashamed of you, it's just that I don't like people knowing about my private life". Jago snorted, trying hard not to laugh.

"You haven't realised have you?" he said. "They already know, you daft sod!" Lind was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the fact that Chrono asked me to my face whether we were together was a bit of a hint". Lind blushed and looked down.

"I see" she said and was quiet for a second. "Ok" she said to Belldandy, "I'll move in with Jago". She looked up. "Does everybody really know?"

"Yes" Belldandy said and blushed. "Personally, I'm happy for you. You have found yourself someone who cares for you and while he may be a little rough around the edges, he is a good man".

"Thanks Bell" Jago said. He turned to Lind. "Well, I'd better go and fetch your things". Lind cocked her head.

"I don't have any things".

"What?"

"As a Valkyrie, I was never allowed any personal effects. The only things I own are my axe and that jacket you gave me".

"That's sad".

"Really?"

"Yes. Right, remind me that at some point, I'm going to have to get you some clothes". Belldandy smiled.

"He's right. Perhaps, you would look good in a dress?"

"WHAT!"

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Belldandy walked back to the house filled with joy. Peorth's plan to get the two of them together had worked. Jago and Lind were now officially living together. Perhaps now they could be a bit more open about their romance. She sighed. If only it was possible for her and Keiichi. He tried so hard but they had never got beyond saying I love you, even after the Judgement Gate. Perhaps Mister Jago could give him some advice? She giggled. Yes, that is what she would do. Tomorrow.

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_The creature stirred. It knew its mission. Devour the Archs so that it's Master's Master could return. But first, it needed to thin the ranks. There were too many with power in this place to attack head on. It had tried once before but it had failed, almost being destroyed by the Twin-food. So it would have to find a weak one first, devour its food and then hide and wait to strike in the confusion. It sensed a presence. The Musical-food! Holybell they called her. And her Mistress, Belldandy. But they were strong. Awake. Alert. It knew they were strong, having fought them once before, after devouring the Musical-food, when it had a Bat-no-touch-food. Too strong. It must find a weaker one. It flitted though the shadows, creeping under doors to see what lay inside. It could still sense the Musical-food, now talking to the No-food human but it had sensed a target. It entered the room. The red and white Soulless was in the corner. It was sleeping, turned off. There were two more here though. One it had faced before, one was new. It sniffed the air. This New-food would do. It could only attack one food at once but as they were sleeping, it would be easy. It let out its attack screech, stirring the New-food from her sleep and it saw the food rise from her Mistresses body. Before the food had a chance to realise its mistake, the creature grabbed it and devoured it, severing its link to its mistress. It heard the other one, the Bomber-food's Mistress turned over in its sleep, groaning quietly but it didn't wake. Why would it? It never knew that something had happened. The creature growled with content. It had fed well. Now it would wait until morning before its next attack. It would wait for the Arch-food's to come. _

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It was about four in the morning when Lind awoke. She was in her usual place, beside Jago, his arm wrapped protectively around her, as if afraid to let her go. Usually, about now, she would now quietly make her way back to the house but not anymore. From now on, she would spend her nights here. She smiled to herself. Then she caught it. Something was wrong. Something had happened. Something bad. She sat up, causing Jago to grunt.

"Waz up?" he muttered sleepily to her and she turned to him.

"Something bad is happening or may have already happened. I can't tell what but it's really bad". Jago sat up and looked at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "What's happened?" It was then that they heard the scream. Skuld. Lind was out of bed and almost at the door before Jago could even react.

"Wait!" he shouted. "Clothes!" Lind blushed and nodded.

"Yes, that might be an idea" she said.

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"So what happened?" Belldandy asked Skuld as they clustered around the unconscious Chrono. She lay on her futon, eyes half open, as if she had been petrified.

"I don't know!" Skuld said. "I woke up just now to have a drink, I thought that Chrono was awake, I went to talk to her and then realised that she was frozen!" Tears streamed down her face. "Big Sis, what could have happened to her?" Urd bent low, inspecting the frozen girl.

"It appears that she was attacked".

"Attacked?" asked Eir and Saga together. Urd nodded and stood.

"Yes and by a creature we have met before. It would appear that her angel has been pulled out". Skuld gulped.

"You don't mean?"

"Yes, the Angel-Eater is back". Most of those in collected group gasped. Only Lind and Jago remained silent.

"I thought this might happen" Lind said. "We should have destroyed the beast while we had the chance".

"But how did it get here?" Belldandy asked. They all turned to Peorth.

"What? Me?" she said. Lind nodded.

"It would make sense" she said. "You are the only one who has arrived in the last twenty-four hours".

"But it can't be me!" Peorth said, backing away from Lind. "Besides, what about Mara? She helped to bring that thing it last time!" Mara huffed.

"Sure, blame it on the demon!" she said. Then Jago spoke up.

"I don't think it was either of them" he said, crouching beside Chrono. They turned to him, just in time to see him do something very odd; he lifted one of Chrono's fingers to his mouth, tasting the tip. He instantly dropped it and spat. "ARH! Burnt tin!" he said.

"What?" Urd said.

"What are you doing?" Keiichi said, looking disgusted.

"A demon test" Jago said.

"How does that work?" Keiichi said.

"Well, everybody has their own smell. I won't go into the details but when I entered the room, I noticed that Chrono's had changed. Normally, she smells of coffee and armour polish but it now, burnt tin".

"Ok, I get that" Keiichi said. "But what has that got to do with anything?"

"Well, I've noticed that demons have a distinct smell of burnt tin. Hild did, Mara does and now so does Chrono. Now, Peorth still smells of roses and Mara may smell that way but she doesn't smell strongly enough of it for her to be host. This means either Hild is here and we haven't seen her or the monster is hiding somewhere else.".

"Ok. But why did you suck her finger?" Jago shrugged.

"Needed to be sure. Smell is good but taste as well is ideal". He stood. "Right. I don't know what to do. This is well beyond my area of expertise". Lind nodded.

"Ok, I'll set up a barrier to stop the monster from escaping". She looked directly at the others. "Gather anything that has arrived in the last twenty-four hours so it can be inspected". All but Keiichi, Jago and Belldandy hurried off. It was then that Lind sagged, seeming to grow less strong, less sure of herself. "This is going to be a long night. Belldandy and I had better take the first watch". Jago nodded.

"Aye. But we'll survive". He then turned to Keiichi. "And you my friend, you may not be much of a fighter but you need a weapon".

"What?" Keiichi said.

"Yep. Better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it". He turned to leave and motioned for Keiichi to follow.

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"Are you sure about this?" Keiichi said to Lamb as she handed him Jago's mora knife. She nodded. She knew that as a human, he wouldn't be able to understand her but she still tried to communicate. As Jago would probably say, this hadn't been very well thought out. They were in the forge while Jago fetched something from the house because he had thought that it would be best if Keiichi received some instruction from a weapons expert. But he hadn't taken into account the communications problem. She sighed and motioned for Keiichi to watch her. She mimed holding a knife, using it to cut and thrust at an imaginary enemy. When she finished, she motioned for Keiichi to copy her. "You want me to copy you?" he asked and she nodded. "I don't think I can copy any of those things you just did!" he said and her face fell. Where was this human's confidence? She motioned again for her to copy her. She did the moves again and then she waited, arms folded for him to copy her. He did nothing. She raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to do this?" She nodded and Keiichi did. It was appalling. He was slow and unsteady, almost dropping the knife at one point. She had to cover her face with one hand to mask her shame. When he finished, he turned to her. "How was that?" he asked hopefully and then yelped as she slapped him hard across the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for?" She pulled a face at him, frustrated by him and then motioned for him to do it again. He did. After twenty attempts, he was barely any better and she was now getting angry. How was it possible for him to be so hopeless? It was then that she had an idea. She pointed firmly at the ground in front of him. He cocked his head. "Now what?" he panted and then saw her motions. "You want me to stay here?" she nodded and then left. A few minutes later, she reappeared, followed by Jago and Damascus.

"Having trouble?" Jago asked. Keiichi nodded.

"I just can't get this right" he said and he then rubbed his head. "She's also the most violent angel I've ever met!" Lamb said something to Jago and he smiled.

"That was supposed to be positive reinforcement" he said. "Now though, she has a plan but you might not like it".

"What?"

"Well basically, you can't understand a word she's saying and because of this you're not improving. So basically, I need to make it so you can understand her".

"How would you do that?" Jago grinned.

"Simple. I lend you Damascus". Keiichi spluttered and tried to catch his breath.

"WHAT!" he said. "Damascus? But she's a-"

"A devil? Yes. But she would allow you to talk to Lamb". Keiichi still looked doubtful. "You do want to help don't you?" Keiichi eventually nodded.

"Fine then, if it helps Chrono, I am willing to take Damascus".

"Добре!" Jago said and walked right up to Keiichi, until they were only a few inches apart. "Ready?" he asked.

"No".

"Good!" Jago said and punched Keiichi in the stomach. He caught the shorter man before he could collapse and supported him until his strength returned. After a few minutes, Keiichi was able to stand unsupported and then looked behind him when he felt a tap on his shoulder, nearly jumping from his skin when he saw Damascus's face right in front of him.

"Well, this is new" she said in her must sultry voice.

"Down girl!" Jago said while chuckling and she grinned.

"I was only teasing him" she said, gently running a claw down the side of his face, making him shiver. Then Lamb cleared her throat.

"Hadn't we better get on with it?" she said and as Jago turned to leave, he could hear her starting to instruct Keiichi. "Ok, hold it like this. No like this! Ok. Now, scythe outwards. No, faster. Faster! Faster! Better. Now, two hands on the hilt!" Jago smiled. Keiichi would be knackered by the time she was finished.

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_The Angel-Eater snuck out of its host as soon as the coast was clear. It had sensed the Twoarch and Twin-food Lind, as well as some others. It had felt the protective barrier rise and trap all of them inside. Good. No escape for the food. It began its search for its next victim. It could sense the Twoarch. It had separated itself from one so would be easier to attack for now but they were in a room of iron. It couldn't enter anywhere with so much iron. Twin-food and Musical-food were outside, helping that red and white Soulless to guard the temple. No good. Not two. But there were others. It sensed another. But it mustn't attack that one. Not yet. It kept searching. Now here was one! It was the Bat-no-touch-food. Last time, High-Master-No-Touch had used her to help in her attack but now, she was a deserter. She was strong and the Master said to take the strong ones first It licked its metaphoric lips. It had never had a Bat-no-touch-food for a while!_

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When Jago and Keiichi arrived at the temple, they both looked different. Keiichi was worn, tired, sweating. He looked as if he had been for a long run. But he carried himself with a certain amount of pride and he now wore Jago's knife on his belt. Jago on the other hand looked like he was going into combat. He had swapped his clothes for a set of Combat 95's, a British Army uniform complete with a navy blue beret with a REME cap badge. Over one shoulder, he had his sword and over the other he had slung a twelve-gauge, pump-action shotgun, backed up by an old fashioned 45. Calibre revolver and his khukuri. Enough weapons to fillet a company. On top of this, he had cut shaved his beard although no-one was sure why. Keiichi had also changed into uniform, as they were stronger and offered better protection form attack than his usual clothes. As they were walking up to the house, Eir and Saga came running out to meet them.

"Come quick!" said Eir.

"There's been another attack!" said Saga

"Who?"  
"Mara!" Jago and Keiichi both looked at one-another and then raced inside, followed closely by the twins. They found Mara, collapsed on the floor outside her room, completely petrified. Belldandy and were already there, bending over the fallen demon.

"What happened?" asked Keiichi.

"We don't know" said Lind. "Eir and Saga found her like this. All we know is that she was alone when she was attacked". While they were talking, Jago bent forward and liked one of Mara's fingers, almost gagging from the taste.

"Interesting" he said.

"What is?" Belldandy asked him. He looked at her and shook his head.

"Nothing". He stood. "I'd better take over the watch for now. Belldandy, could you kame her comfortable?" Belldandy nodded.

"What should I do?" asked Lind.

"You stay with Keiichi. Keep him safe". Lind's brow creased with confusion.

"Why?"

"I have a plan, ok? Just keep him safe". Lind nodded.

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Jago sat on the step, his back against one of the support pillars and his shotgun across his lap. After a while, Lamb appeared to him.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"Are we bait?"

"Yep". Lamb nodded.

"You came to the same conclusion I did?"

"Probably. The beast is picking us off, trying to weaken our forces but in actual fact it is probably after you. These aren't just random attack; it's picking off the strongest ones it can get to me and you. That's why I made sure that Keiichi kept Damascus, to keep her safe and to make us a more obvious target. At least with Lind, she is unlikely to be attacked". Lamb nodded.

"And then when it does attack, you attack the beast and I rescue the trapped angels" she said.

"Aye, that's the plan". He scratched his head. "And I have a hunch that I know where it will be hiding".

"I hope we know what we're doing Master" Lamb said. Jago smiled.

"So do I lass".

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_It was time to strike. It could sense its target. All alone. Easy to attack. It controlled it's host, moving it towards the Arch, forcing the shell to smile._

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"Hello Jago!" Peorth said, her face wreathed in smiles. Jago looked up from his gun and his face became a grim smile.

"Ah, there you are" he said and he attacked. Or rather, Lamb did. She erupted from her Master and let out an angel's distress cry. The call brought forth Gorgeous Rose, Peorth's angel and with it, the Angel-Eater. It was even more repulsive it reality than in the manga. The it stood nearly fifteen foot tall, a horrifying hybrid of lizard and giant centipede with two mouths and a pair of long tentacles where it's eyes should be. A nice, big, fat target. Jago leapt to his feet and unloaded a slug into the body of the beast, blowing clean out of Peorth but dragging Gorgeous Rose with it. Lamb surged forward, tackling the monster and knocking it back. Jago charged too, unloading his full magazine into the creatures hide. Most of the rounds bounced off but there were a few jets of grey liquid shot from the holes where pellets had found a weak-spot in its armour. It roared and Jago tossed aside the gun, pulling out his sword. Lamb settled next to him, her eye's flashing amber in her rage. They were going to enjoy this.

At the sound of the gunshots, Belldandy rushed outside, summoning her hammer as she went. The sight that met her was terrifying. Jago and Lamb were locked in brutal combat with the giant Angel-Eater. Lamb was dive-bombing the beast, letting fly with a flurry of attacks and then retreating before it could retaliate while Jago slashed at the creature's midsection, apparently trying to free something that was being held there. But they were fighting a losing battle. The creature was too strong. Too fast. It fired off an energy attack that sent Lamb flying through the roof of the temple. Seconds later she was back, roaring a battle cry as she came but it was clear that the hit had cost her dearly. There was no time to lose. Belldandy summoned Holybell and together, they charged the foul beast, striking it in the left side. It was then that they saw what the creature was holding. It was Gorgeous Rose! They had to reach her!

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_This wasn't going well. It had tried to attack the Arch but it had somehow known the attack was coming and had drawn out its host's Flower-food before it could attack. Then it had been hit by that painful Bang-stick before the human had started trying to chop it with its Iron-tooth. Now, just as it was winning the Musical-food had appeared with a Whack-tooth. There was no way it could face them all. Time for plan B._

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Lind was the next to join the fight, swinging her halberd high over her head to catch the beast from behind. And then, suddenly, it disappeared. Lind blinked.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked. Jago just turned and headed for the temple, ignoring the fallen Peorth of the shouts of the others. He raced to the room where Chrono and Mara were being kept. When the others caught up with him, he was bent over Mara, tasting her finger. He spat.

"Nope" he said and then moved to Chrono, tasting her's. It was strong. "Gottcha!" he said, as Lamb appeared.

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_"Gottcha!" thought the creature as it attacked, devouring Astrakhan Lamb before she could react. _

**Authors Note: to all those who can be bothered to read this far, thank you! I wouldn't mind some reviews, just to help me make my work better. Also, looking for suggestions for a second monster. Any ideas?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

**System Error**

"Oh shit!" was the last thing that went through Lamb's mind before she was devoured. The creature erupted from Chrono's prone body and grabbed Lamb in its long eye tentacles, before swallowing her whole. The shock of the attack and the grief of having his angel forcefully removed almost paralysed Jago. He roared in pain and was then knocked flat on his back as Belldandy and Lind were forced to watch helplessly as the monster swallowed her.

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_Mission complete, time to escape. Then it felt it, a massive build-up of energy from outside the room. The second to last thing that went through its head, before flying through the wall was "Uh-oh". The last thing that went through its head was its arse. _

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"DEMON SOUL BOMB!" Damascus shouted and she sent the attack though several walls before it hit the Angel-Eater squarely in the face. She grinned as she helped Keiichi to his feet as he had been blown over by the force of the attack. "Come on you!" she said, "We're needed!" and they ran off together to the room where the attack had hit. Belldandy was trying to help Jago to his feet but the big mad remained on his knees in a foetal position, refusing to co-operate while Lind had gone to find the creature before it could escape.

"Come on Jago, you have to get up!" Belldandy said and then she saw why he couldn't stand. He was cradling something. Tears came to her eyes and she smiled. In the melee, he may have lost Lamb but he had saved Gorgeous Rose and he was protecting her from all comers, even Belldandy. When he lifted his face, he looked like he had barely hanging on to his sanity and it was Damascus who knew why.

"His wish" she whispered. "He can't let Rose go because of his wish. He promised to protect Lamb and he failed so it nearly drove him insane. So now he's not willing to let her go. Plus, I think the system force may have shut down his central nerve system". Belldandy looked at her.

"I understand" she said. "His kindness was almost his undoing". Then she realised something. "Keiichi, why is Damascus attached to you? Why isn't she with Jago?" Keiichi grimaced.

"He lent her to me so Lamb could teach me to fight. I just don't think he remembered to take her back". Damascus shook her head.

"No, not just that. They were protecting me. They knew Lamb was the real target and they needed some way to draw the monster out". She looked sad, a rare thing for a devil. "And now, I think we've lost him. Without Lamb, he may not be able to recover". She heard a deep chuckle.

"Oh come ye of little faith" Jago said and he pulled himself upright. "I may have lost her but I will get her back! Plus now my limbs appear to be working again".

"How?" Keiichi said. "You were nearly catatonic a second ago. There's no way you can fight like you are!" Jago cracked his neck.

"You've clearly never been to Devon!" he said. "We may be simple but once we start something, we see it through to the end". He stood and gently passed Gorgeous Rose over to Belldandy. "Take her back to her Mistress" he said and then he turned to Keiichi. "Still go that knife?" he asked. Keiichi nodded.

"Good! You're coming with me!"

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_"I must escape!" thought the beast. It may have only one Arch but it was the main one that they wanted. If only it could escape from the Twin-food. They were fast. Strong. Their Mistress had a long Iron-tooth and it couldn't fight back. Something had happened. Its powers were weakening. How could it escape? HOW?_

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Jago thundered down the corridor, revolver in one hand and khukuri in the other. He was out for blood and nothing would stop him. But he wasn't Jupiter mad. At least not yet. Keiichi and Damascus followed close behind; Keiichi with his borrowed knife and Damascus charging another spell. She may not like Lamb but for what she and her Master had felt, she would gladly fight that creature to the bitter end. It's bitter end of course. They reached the courtyard and were greeted to a spectacular sight. The Angel-Eater was hopping frantically around the temple grounds, being chased by most of the resident goddesses. Urd and Skuld both carried huge war-hammers, Eir and Saga had their cutlasses for the Low Tide competition and Lind was swinging her mighty Halberd. Jago grinned.

"Come on you! Let's get stuck in!" he roared and charged the monster, swinging his khukuri in great, haymaking chops. Keiichi wasn't sure how Jago could help but he saw that the big man was predicting the creatures landings and more often than not, he was able to stab upwards, causing gaping wounds in the beasts belly. Damascus also began her attack, firing off balls of dark energy that burned and twisted the monsters flesh.

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_This was not good. There was no way that it could keep this up. Too much damage was being done too quickly. What could it do? Then it realised: an energy release attack would allow it to escape. Risky but the only option._

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The creature landed with a sickening thud, its legs almost collapsing under it. It looked spent so now was the time to defeat it. It was only Keiichi who saw what was coming next as the creature's body began to convulse.

"Look out!" he shouted and he moved to cover Damascus. He was too late for the others. A massive wall of sick-yellow energy burst from the mouth of the beast, defeating them in a single burst. Another pair of beams shot from its eye stalks and began scything through the air, taking out anybody who avoided the primary beam. The temple inhabitants were scattered, many left groaning on the floor as the creature then concentrated its beams and broke through Lind's barrier shield. Before it could leave, it had to stop. It started to gag and hiss before vomiting up a shape. Then another. Mara and Chrono's angels had been almost completely stripped of their power in order for the beams to penetrate the shield and so they had to be discarded. But now the creature could escape.

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_Freedom!_

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Before any of the temple inhabitants could recover it bounded away, heading for down-town Nekomi. Keiichi was the first to recover, having only taken a glancing blow from the monster. He groaned and muttered to himself.

"Damn my dependable personality" he said as he moved away from Damascus. She also quickly recovered and sat-up, grumbling.

"Uh. Squashed by a human shield!" she said and then looked across at Keiichi and noticed that a strand of his hair was smoking. She licked two fingers and pinched out the flame. "Thanks" she said. "Not many people would try to save a devil from an attack". Keiichi grinned, causing Damascus to scowl. "This doesn't mean I like you. I just want you to know that your efforts were appreciated". Keiichi nodded.

"Fair enough" he said and smiled up at the Arch-devil. Some of the others were beginning to come around; Lind hand started moving and Jago was already on his feet, looking like he had just been through the wringer. He cracked his neck out as Belldandy and Peorth appeared from the temple.

"Are you guys ok?" asked Peorth, looking concerned. Jago nodded.

"I think we'll survive" he said, nodding at the others.

"Where's the Angel-Eater?" asked Belldandy. Jago looked around and realised that the best was gone.

"FUCK!" he shouted and ran over to Keiichi. "K, I need Damascus back!" he said but she blocked him before he could retrieve her.

"That's not a good idea Master" she said. "He protected me from that blast and saved me but his body will have taken major energy damage. If you try to remove me now, you'll probably kill him".

"Ah" Jago said, pausing to think and then turned to Belldandy. "Can you sort things out here while I go after the beast?" She nodded. "Ok. I must warn you, I've got to take Keiichi with me. But don't worry, Damascus and I will look after him". Belldandy looked concerned but nodded.

"You take care of my Keiichi" she said softly. Jago grinned and pulled Keiichi to his feet.

"Come on mate, we're going hunting!"

"How are we going to catch it?" Jago cocked his head.

"Damascus, can you track that thing?" she nodded. "Good, then we take my truck". He paused to scoop up his khukuri and shotgun. "Ok, let's roll" he said.

"Wait a minute!" Peorth said, summoning her twin mallets. "I'm coming too! I have a grudge against that beasty!" Jago nodded.

"Ok. We're gonna need all the help we can get".

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The roar of a 300 bhp turbo-diesel filled the courtyard of the temple as the Unimog sped forward, towards the main gate.

"We can't get through that, we're too tall!" Keiichi said his voice on the edge of panic.

"Don't worry; we're not going through the gate!" Jago said and aimed his truck at the wall. "Head's down!" The wall was tough; hard stone and tile with a thick coating of protective plaster. However, it was not built to withstand a twelve ton armour plated Unimog traveling at fifty miles-per-hour. The truck punched through and was then thrown into a hard right turn, down the road towards Nekomi.

"That was a bit unnecessary, wasn't it?" Peorth said as the truck hurtled down the hill. Jago shrugged.

"I needed a short cut" he said lamely. He then turned to Keiichi and handed him his shotgun. "Put some rounds in" he said. Keiichi was taken aback.

"What?"

"Check the glove box, there should be some shells in there. Push them hard into the base of the gun, just below the breech". He caught Keiichi's look. "We're going to need some firepower" he said.

"But the gun didn't work last time!" Keiichi said.

"Those rounds weren't meant to kill it".

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Lind's body ached all-over. She winced as she struggled to pull herself into a seated position and then rubbed her head, trying to clear her mind of cobwebs. She looked around and quickly took in everything. She could sense that her barrier shield had been destroyed and that the monster was gone. She could sense the others around her; Skuld, Eir, Saga and Urd, all recovering from the attack. She could sense the two angels that would need to be returned to their Mistresses in order to survive. What she couldn't sense was Jago. She looked around, trying to find him and Keiichi but they were gone. She spotted Belldandy, kneeling beside one of the fallen angels.

"Belldandy, where are Jago and Keiichi?" she said.

"They went after the Angel-Eater" Belldandy replied. Before she had chance to say any more, Lind was on her feet and materialised a Valkyrie uniform, even though she wasn't technically allowed them anymore.

"I'm going after them!" she said and summoned her poleaxe before dragging her thumb down one of her shoulder strips. The strip glowed, activating a booster spell and she shot away, following the truck.

"No, Lind stop!" Belldandy shouted after her but it was too late, she was already out of ear-shot. She looked out after her, holding a hand close to her heart. "I hope she'll be ok".

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_The monster was exhausted. Its strength was waning. It would feel it's magic flowing away. It didn't even have enough power left to summon a Hell-gate and make good it's escape. All it could do now was keep running and hope it could find somewhere to hide. It growled as pain rippled through its body. That Bang-stick that the human had used had done something. Something that was draining its power. And now it growled again. It could sense the human. No wait, two humans! Two humans and the Flower-food in a big white Soulless! And they were catching up!_

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"What do you mean it was never meant to kill the creature?" Keiichi said, slotting a third shell into the gun. Jago grinned.

"I knew that without Lind's full power, it would be hard to beat a creature like that so I decided to level the playing field a bit".

"How?" Jago's grin widened.

"Solid iron shot!"

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_It had reached the town. The humans were approaching but with luck it would be able to hide soon. It must hide. It must get this iron out from under its skin!_

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"You mean you used iron filled shells to drain the beast's magic?"

"Yep, that's about the gist of it".

"Very clever" Peorth said. "But how did you know it was inside me?" Jago looked across at her.

"I first thought something was up when you hugged me just after you arrived. You looked like a goddess but you smelt like a devil. It wasn't until later that I thought something was up". Peorth cocked her head.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"Well like I said, you didn't smell of tin at the time. So I knew you didn't have the demon inside of you. It was when Mara was attacked that I realised what was happening; it was-" but he was cut off as he swerved the truck violently to avoid an oncoming car. Everyone in the truck yelled as he swung it around the smaller vehicle, which shot past, its horn blaring. Jago snapped the truck back into the other lane and tugged his air horn violently and then lead out the window and shouted "Road hog!" at the disappearing car.

"I think we were the road hog there" Keiichi said, trying to unclench himself. Jago snorted.

"Unimogs always have the right of way, especially on a rescue mission!" he said. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the beast. After Mara was attacked, I realised it was body snatching; hiding in the bodies of those who had had their angels removed. Why it went back into you Peorth, I don't know. Possibly, you were just a useful primary host but when you came out to see Lamb and I, you were reeking of demon so we launched a pre-emptive attack. I didn't mean to knock your angel out but at least she's back now. No hard feelings?" Peorth shook her head.

"Gorgeous Rose and I are both grateful that you got that beast out of us. But what happened after did?"

"Well Lamb and I attacked it, Belldandy and Lind pilled in and I guess it went to plan B. It went and hid back in Chrono, possibly knowing that I couldn't draw it out the same way I did with you because Chrono's angel was already eaten. We knew it was there and we were planning to trap it until Damascus could seal it properly but it attacked before we could do anything. Lamb was eaten but in the confusion, I managed to save your Gorgeous Rose". He thought for a moment. "Gorgeous Rose is a bit of a mouthful so can I call her Rosy?" Gorgeous Rose appeared of her own free will and smiled.

"Master Jago, after what you did for me, you've earned the right to call me Squiggy the Space Dog! I am forever in your debt!" Jago nodded.

"Thanks Rosy" he said and turned his attention back to the road. They were entering the city suburbs now and he could sense the beast getting closer.

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_They were here! Almost on it! It could sense them; the Flower-food with its reek of roses, one human smelling of motor oil and soap, the Arch-bat-wing-no-touch with no smell at all and **HIM**! The Twoarch. He smelt of many things; tobacco, sweat andiron fillings. But most of all, he smelt of anger. If that one caught it, the beast knew it would die. It must escape! Must escape now! But where? It could hear it, the rumble of the great, white soulless, its diesel maw drawing it steadily closer. Where could the beast hide? WHERE?_

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Tomoki Suggata owned a vegetable shop. Nothing special. Just fruits and vegetables, whatever was in season. Fourty, pot-bellied and balding, he was a simple man who lived a simple life. He was certainly not prepared for what was about to happen. He heard a roar and looked down the street to see a huge monster come bounding along the road. It was fifteen feet tall and resembled a beast from his very worst nightmares. With each leap it travelled twenty feet, sailing along the street before turning a corner and then it was lost from view. He turned around and sat down next to one of his stalls, mopping his brow with his hand.

"I must be dreaming" he thought. "Too much sun". He sat quietly for a while, not even bothering to turn around when he heard an engine pull up.

"I thought you said it went this way?" said a female voice.

"That's what she said" said a male voice. "Look, I'll just ask this guy". Suggata turned around and looked up at a huge, white truck with five people in the cab; two guys and three girls, all in funny clothing. The guys were both in military style uniforms of some foreign nation and while one was probably Japanese, the other was defiantly a foreigner. The three girls were also foreign looking. They were all wearing skimpy outfits; one an angel, one a devil and one seemingly normal except for the fact she was wearing what appeared to be latex underwear and a few leather straps.

"Cosplay freaks" he decided.

"'Scuse me" said the foreign man, "You didn't happen to see something that looked like the bastard lovechild of lizard and a giant centipede did you?" Suggata nodded and pointed around the corner. "Ta mate!" the man said and the truck hurtled away. Suggata sat down again.

"This day is just getting too weird" he said to himself and just sat quietly for a while until he heard another voice.

"Excuse me, could you give me some directions?" He looked around but there was no-one around. "Up here" the voice said and he looked up to see a woman in white standing atop a telephone pole with a large axe in her hands. "I'm looking for a group of people in a big, white truck who probably came through here a minute ago. You didn't see them did you?" Suggata pointed. "Thank you" she said and rubbed a thumb down her sleeve before disappearing in a blur of motion. Suggata sat and for a while there was peace until a deep wup-wup noise broke through the air. Before long, a large red and white helicopter with a smiling robot face on its nose rumbled into view and stopped to hover above the street. A door swung open and a young woman stuck her head out.

"Excuse me, but could you-"

"If you're looking for a hideous monster, five cosplay freaks in a truck or a blue haired woman with an axe, they all went that way!" and he jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"Thank you!" said the woman who smiled down and then leaned back inside. "You heard him Skuld!" he heard the woman say.

"Ok! Banpei AH-1 Copter-booster go!" came another voice and the aircraft shot away over the roofs of the houses. Suggata sighed.

"Maybe today was a bad day to quit drinking after all" he said.

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It was two more corners before they saw the creature. It was busy bounding down a street, still looking for an escape. Jago grinned and turned to Keiichi.

"Can you drive a Unimog?" he asked. Keiichi looked confused but nodded. "Good, take the wheel!" Jago said and he pulled himself out of the driver's seat, barely giving Keiichi chance to take his place.

"What are you planning?" Peorth asked as Jago drew his revolver.

"Not much" he said and he snapped the gun open. He tipped it back, emptying all but one shell from the weapon and then snapped it closed again. "One shot" he said he said when he saw her questioning look. "Motivation to make sure I don't miss". He then stood and pushed open a hatch on the roof so that he could stand half out of the vehicle. "Keep me steady!" he shouted down and then cocked his gun, pulling the hammer all the way back. He could see the beast up ahead. It was bounding along at a fair old pace, the truck barley keeping up with it. Luckily there were few people about or this could have been very messy. Jago sighted along the barrel of his gun. It was going to be a long shot at best. He had to adjust his aim for target movement, wind speed, his speed and direction, a million other things. But he was sure. He had to be sure. For Lamb. He fired.

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_The .45 Calibre shell spat from the muzzle of the gun and shot towards the fleeing demon. It may have been a shot in a million but for in general fact that million to one chances will crop up nine times out of ten. As it was, the round found its mark, spiralling into the weak spot between two of the creatures back plates and burying itself deep within the monsters flesh. Now normally a bullet would not be enough to bring down a beast but this was no ordinary round; it was a hollow point shot that had been filled with silver nitrate. And as the old magic taught, you use salt to burn a demon, iron to bind them and silver to do both at once. Now the Angel-Eater was strong, much stronger than most monsters but this round was crippling. The liquid silver coursed around its body in seconds and while it would normally have been only an inconvenience, it's body had been weaken by the previous hits from the shotgun shells. It was now all the creature could do stay corporeal. It was now or never, it would have to fight!_

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Keiichi pulled hard right, following creature out of the residential area and into an old industrial centre as Jago ducked back into the cab, holstering his gun as he went. They could see that the creature was slowing, obviously weakened by that last shot. Peorth was impressed.

"Nice shot" she said. "I'm guessing that wasn't a normal round". Jago nodded.

"Hollow point silver-nitrate round. Monsters don't like silver and now its veins are full of it". Keiichi meanwhile was still focused on the Angel-Eater and had just noticed something odd.

"Is it just me or is it getting smaller?" he said. Jago looked leaned forward and watched carefully.

"Bugger, your right" and he scratched his chin. "This could be a problem".

"How's that?" asked Peorth. The monster made a sudden left turn and disappeared into an old warehouse. Jago sighed.

"Well, that could happen" Jago said, pulling out his crumpled packet of cigarettes and lighting one with his thumb magic. "Now we gotta go in after the bastard and you just know it's gonna ambush us". He took a puff and sighed. "This is gonna suck more than bare-arm piranha fishing".

The five of them stood in front of the warehouse, weapons in hand. Jago had swapped Keiichi's knife for a five-foot long piece of scaffolding while Damascus was also carrying one. They may not be much in the way of melee fighters but a long piece of scaffolding makes an excellent club in anybody's hands. Peorth and Gorgeous Rose were each carrying a pair of long handled mallets, ready to bust up some faces. And in the middle was Jago, shirt off, hatless, cigarette between his lips and a huge, fifteen pound monster maul slung over his right shoulder. He grunted, spat out the fag as glanced to his left.

"Ready?" he asked Peorth and Gorgeous Rose. They nodded. He turned to his right. "Ready?" he asked Keiichi and Damascus. They nodded. Jago grinned. "Right then. Let's get Lamb" he said and they charged forwards, through the open door and into the darkness within. That monster was going to have a bad day.

At last, Lind caught up with Jago's party. She had been tracking the sound of the Unimog's engine but had lost the trail when the truck had stopped. However, she eventually picked up on the sound of fighting coming from the warehouse district and was able to find them. By the time she got there though, the fighting had long since ceased. She paused above the group and smiled at what she saw. Jago was sitting atop an upturned bucket, gently holding Astrakhan lamb to him, rocking gently and singing a gentle song as she cried into his shoulder, while Damascus hovered nearby, obviously annoyed but willing to let Lamb receive some affection after all she had been through. Keiichi and Peorth were perched on the tailgate of the truck, looking battered, bruised and tired but happy nonetheless. Lind quietly descended and stopped just in front of Jago, reaching out to gently touch him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, smiling gently.

"Hey you" he said quietly. "You survive?" Lind nodded and smiled.

"Is she ok?" Lind asked. Jago nodded.

"Got Damascus to thank for that. We distracted the beast and she went in after her. If it weren't for her, Lamb would be dead and we would have had the shit beaten out of us. Luckily, Lamb was returned just in time to lend us some fighting power". Lind smiled but then her smile faded.

"Where's the creature now?" she asked. As if in answer, a long, sharp hiss echoed from inside the bucket, making Lamb cringe and continued until Jago brought a knuckle down hard on it, earning a loud clang and then silence. Lind cocked her head.

"How did it get so small?"

"It was badly hurt after the first fight and the only reason it was still moving was it was relying on Lamb's power. It was already shrinking but after saved Lamb, it sped up and then we beat it into a pulp. Now it's about the size of a mouse but had grown wicked sharp talons so we're put it in an iron box, lined with silver and salt and then bury it". Lind nodded.

"That would certainly keep it from escaping" she said affirmatively and then looked up as the sound of an approaching aircraft caught her attention. Jago also looked up and recognised the design as one of Skuld's, so he leaned forward and whispered to his Lamb. "Safe now aye? Let's get you home". The angel nodded and gently kissed her Master on the cheek.

"Yes" she said.

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Far away. The dark room. The two beings watched the touching scene with obvious disgust through a screen projecting from the surface of the table. The man snorted.

"It would seem that your beast has failed, my Lady" he said with barely concealed contempt.

"There was little chance that it would to begin with, my Lord" she said, without showing any reaction to the comment. Inside though she was steaming with rage, as she had been hoping to prove more effective than the man. He sneered.

"Perhaps we should try a different tact?" he said and collapsed the screen, replacing it with the complicated chess board. The piece that had once represented the Angel-Eater had crumbled to dust and so the man ran a hand along his own set of pieces, eventually stopping at one. "I think we should send this one" he said. The woman barely glanced at the piece.

"The Unkillable?" she asked.

"Yes". She then nodded.

"Perhaps you are right; they have proven to be better fighters than we originally thought so perhaps an unkillable soldier would be best". She paused and thought for a second. "Are we still planning to initiate stage one?" she said. The man nodded.

"Yes. We shall start with a massive bug attack; make them think that the system has crashed and then shut down as much as possible. This should render those surface dwellers vulnerable, especially without their magic". The woman nodded but then thought of something.

"What about the Gates?" she asked. The man paused.

"What about them?"

"Perhaps it would be prudent to render them inoperable, at least for now. I know it's risky but it would prevent any reinforcements from reaching Earth, at least for the time being. In particular, I am worried about some of the Praetorians. They may be more loyal to their leaders than to us and if they can reinforce those surface dwellers then they would be in a better position to resist us when the purge comes". The man nodded.

"You are wise Lady" he said. "I too have my doubts about some of our soldiers, one of my own in particular. The fourth cohort leader, Valmeyar. Not only are she and most of her forces fiercely loyal to the Almighty but she is also Lind's mother. She would be quite difficult to fight if she were able to reach her daughter". He paused for a second. "Can I trust you to deal with the Gates?" he asked. The woman nodded.

"Leave them to me" she said.

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Back on Earth. Jago's house. The bedroom. It was about three in the morning and several days since the Angel-Eater had been buried, with life pretty much returning to normal. Peorth had decided to stay for the time being and so Lind had stayed with Jago. She slept peacefully, a slight smile upon her lips as she quietly dreamed. Jago lay beside her but his sleep was anything but peaceful. A nightmare wracked his mind as he rolled over and over, covered in a cold sweat and shaking. It was not his nightmare that he was experiencing though. It was Lamb who was dreaming.

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_She had been running forever. She had no choice. She had to warn them. HE was coming; the First Lord, the Oldest Storm. He was close. He was powerful. He would destroy all. And so she ran. Her back bled from two ragged holes where her wings had once been, ripped from her body to eliminate her power. Her feet were blackened and the skin raged, having been torn apart as she ran through this world of ash and sharp stones. Her skin was dull, having lost its majestic angel shine and her beautiful, curly hair had all but vanished, leaving a few lank strands. And her eyes. They had lost their lustre, faded from turquoise and amber to near colourless. And still she ran. She was close. She could tell. If she could warn just one of them, then there was a chance. The Almighty or Hild. Warn them. The coming. And then she fell. The longest of all falls, though a world of fire and ash, a world she had watched perish. She saw those she loved, their bodies torn apart by grotesque apparitions now hung from crosses, crucified as they were slowly torn apart. Belldandy, Urd, Keiichi, Chrono, Eir, Saga, Skuld, Peorth, Lind, even Damascus. And above them all, his body broken, his eyes burnt out and his skin torn from the flesh was the once she cared for the most. Master. He opened his mouth and screamed in silence as she passed, his tongue, teeth and cheeks having long since been removed. She wept as she passed him and kept falling. And then she saw him. The titan. Kronos. And he saw her. He looked directly at her. And he winked._

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Jago awoke with a shout and with enough emotional force to send Lamb and Damascus flying out of his body and crashing into the far wall. Lind was also instantly awake, summoning her halberd and bringing out her twin angels. She looked across at Jago as he sat there gasping but he quickly recovered and headed across the room to where his girls lay. Damascus was fine, a little bruised but fine. Lamb though was distraught. Tears streamed down her face and soaked the cloth wrapping that she wore. Jago could feel her pain and knew full well the distress she felt. It had been awful. And the worst of it was _neither of them could remember what had happened_. Since being rescued, Lamb had had a number of nightmares but as they seemed to pertain to something linked to her protected memories, they were forgotten as soon as they awoke. All they knew was that there was something that was supposed to have been done and now the world would end. Jago bent and silently scooped the weeping angel into his arms and carried her back to his bed, with Damascus following close behind. He sat down, holding her in the same way he had when she had been rescued. He rocked her, her head against his chest, listening to his heart. And he sang:

_"One man shall mow my meadow,"_

_" Two men shall gather it together," _

_"Two men, one man and one dog,"_

_"Shall shear my rams and ewes and lambs,"_

_"And gather my gold together."_

_"Three men shall mow my meadow…"_

It was an old lullaby that he had been taught when he was young and it always helped to soothe distressed souls. Lind would hold the pair of them and so would her angels and between them, they would rock Lamb into sleep. She would then disappear, back to the safety of her Master and one-by-one, they would all drift back off into sleep. All but Damascus. After witnessing her Jago's resolve to protect Lamb, she had decided that he had earned the right to be called her Master. And so, after the first nightmare struck that evening, she would remain awake and alert to protect him from those that came later. You see, nightmares are the embodiment of dream creating devils who preyed on those who slept. Fear made them stronger. But few would tangle with her once she was roused. Few would tangle with the former devil of Nightmare Prime.

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Unlike Lamb whose memories were mostly sealed following Jago's wish, the nature of the death of Damascus's Mistress had meant that she had kept her's. She could remember everything. She was one of the oldest devils, having been born well before the current system of rule in Heaven and Hell. Back then, they had been little more than servants to higher powers: the Titans, the Old Rulers. She could remember how after many years the lower beings, gods and demons, rose up against the old ones. Those Titans who survived were imprisoned, doomed to live out eternity in chains. She had personally been there for the sealing of one. He was Prometheus, the creator of fire and of man but he had become displeased with his creations and had attempted to destroy man for its weakness and then replace them with new life. It was this that had caused the uprising. The lower beings had cried out against the wanton destruction of this species and so they rose, imprisoning the Old Rulers. Following this, Heaven and Hell had been created to house the two sides; one of light and one of dark.

Then came their first problem. They had saved humanity but in the process, they had lost most of their own strength as they relied on energy to sustain themselves and without the Old Rulers, they had begun to fade away. It was Damascus's Mistress who had come up with the original solution; humans. She had been one of the most capable spell casters, who had ever existed thanks to her Archdevil but with no energy to spare, all spells had begun to degenerate. In order to find a solution, she focused her attention on humans and made a startling discovery; humans were brimming with energy. They were primitive, violent and disrespectful creatures but they were able somehow able to convert chemical food into all forms of energy: heat, sound and emotional. And so she had created the Nightmare. She would visit the minds of sleeping humans and would find those who were dreaming. She would the use dark energies to corrupt those dreams, forcing an emotional reaction from them. She could then use Damascus to siphon some of this energy from the human and using this, she was able to survive. The discovery had been hailed as the saviour of both Heaven and Hell and her Mistress had been granted the title of Nightmare Prime; the First of the Nightmares. Second only to the Daimankaichō in authority. Soon though, the Nightmare was no longer the only source of energy. Inspirations, day dream, all kinds of medium were created sustain them.

And then the new system was created. It was discovered that the granting of wishes was are far more effective method of gaining control of human energy. They had created Yggdrasil and Nidhogg to control the assignment of wishes. The doublet system was created to ensure that no one side ever had too much of a share of the energy. And so, they had faded from grace. They had still been powerful and respected but in recent years, they had become increasingly outdated. Damascus's Mistress had tried to cover her shame by mastering all magic. They had learnt every spell. But this was little satisfaction for ones so mighty. Then one day, it had changed. The angel had fallen and Damascus's Mistress had died, only for both to be taken in by the human. At first, this had appalled her; the most powerful of all Nightmares reduced to a human pet! But she had come to see that she wasn't a pet, Jago truly cared for her and Lamb and it was clear that he would do anything to protect them. The Angel-Eater had convinced her of this. While he had seemed in control, she could tell that Jago would have killed the beast to save Lamb, even if it had meant losing his own life. And he would have done the same for her. Damascus may have been a sadistic old Archdevil but she appreciated and respected him for this. There were few who would willingly accept a devil but he had barely given it a second thought and he had never judged her just because she was evil. He had earned the right to be called Master. And so Damascus sat up all night, driving away those who still tried to cause him Nightmares. Him or Lamb.

Astrakhan Lamb. Her doublet. She hated the angel. She was much younger than Damascus and she could barely perform magic, her speciality being combat. She lacked experience. She was totally submissive to Jago. Yet still… Damascus envied her. She had been Master's first soul-mate. His first Arch. She was the one who received the attention. The love. The smiles. Jago tried to share them but it was clear that Lamb was the favourite. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. How could he: how could he love a powerless _flutterbird _more than her? HOW? But then she stopped. She knew why, it was what she had said earlier; Lamb had been first. He couldn't help but love her more. She looked across at the sleeping Lind. Cool Mint was probably in the same boat, the second of the pair. Maybe they should talk about it one day? She paused in her thought though. She could sense another Nightmare devil arriving, again coming for Lamb. She grinned. Damascus may be the second of the pair but she still cared for Jago and while she despised Lamb, she cared for her too, if only because anything that threatened her was also threatening Jago. She entered Jago's mind, tracking the sneaking devil as it searched for Lamb. The devil suddenly sensed her and attempted to escape from Jago's mind. Damascus blocked the retreat with a simple spell and prepared to punish the devil. She didn't know who it belonged too but one thing was certain; it would learn the hard way to not deliver Nightmare's to the Master of a true Nightmare.

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High above, the control room of Yggdrasil buzzed with activity. Ere and Ex, the two system administrators were hard at work, attempting to keep the Heavenly computer running. Since Keiichi's wish, the system had been constantly filling with bugs and normally took the efforts of both them and their sister Chrono to stop the computer from crashing. With her currently on Earth helping the now fallen Lind to guard Twoarchs, they were becoming seriously overworked. Luckily, they were coming to the end of their shift. Ex sighed and paused to rub her shoulder.

"I can't believe how much trouble one wish can cause" she said.

"I agree" said Ere. "It doesn't help that that Arch-thief has moved in with them. I mean, look at are staff roster now!" She pulled up the list and on her floating screen and then flicked it over to Ex. "Four system administrators; one banished, one on long term leave, one on forced holiday and one on guard duty. Two soldiers; one discharged without honour and one technically dead, with only her angel surviving and unable to return to Heaven". She sighed. "At least we can clock-off soon. This debugging should be finished soon". Fatal words. Within seconds, a red alert flashed up on both their screens.

"What?" said Ex, "System error?" She began to tap frantically at the keys but even as she worked, another warning appeared. Then another. And another. An alarm began to sound; a blaring siren that signalled a major fault in the system.

"What's going on?" said Ere, a note of panic in her voice.

"I can't tell!" said Ex. "We appear to have so sort of system failure but the controls aren't responding fast enough for us to find it!" The pair continued to work, fingers flying across the piano-like keyboards. Even as they went, they could see that the situation was hopeless, Yggdrasil was barely running. The two were so busy working that neither noticed the arrival of the third goddess. It was Anzus, the mother of Belldandy and Skuld, personal consort to the Almighty himself and the highest ranked goddess in all of Heaven. Normally, she wouldn't bother with a minor system crash but this was different, something out of the ordinary. She quietly made her way to the central computer system and peered over Ex's shoulder.

"What appears to be the problem?" she asked in a quiet voice. Both of the younger goddesses nearly jumped out of their skins, both from the suddenness of her approach and from the fact that she was there at all.

"Lady Anzus!" said Ex in surprise and briefly turned to look at the powerful goddess. The older woman frowned and a note of irritation in her voice.

"I asked you a question Ex. Now, what appears to be the problem?" Ex looked down.

"We can't tell" she said. "The system just appears to have locked up. We can barely get any response and it appears that most sub-systems have ceased to function all-together". Anzus nodded.

"I see. Have we got any idea what caused this?" Ex shook her head.

"Not yet my lady" she said but then Ere gave a shout.

"I've found it!" she said and pointed to her screen. "There appears to have been a massive outbreak of bugs in one of the hard drives and one has morphed into a virus! It's locked up most of the system and we can't deploy a debugger to destroy it!" Anzus nodded.

"Is there any way to find out where these bugs came from?" Ere shook her head.

"Not yet. It appears that the bugs have been deliberately inserted but as the moment, we are unable to say exactly where form". Anzus frowned.

"What about a damage assessment? What still works?" The two administers worked silently for a few seconds before they gave their sit-rep.

"It appears that whatever caused this attack was very deliberate in what it targeted. The energy conversion system is barely running and those systems that allow for magic to be used on Earth are practically gone. It also appears that bugs are beginning to leek to Earth, with an aberration likely to occur within the next few hours". Anzus nodded.

"What about the other systems?" she asked.

"They appear to still be functioning but we can't access them. For all intents and purposes, the system is unusable". She looked up at the chief goddess. "What do you recommend that we do?" she asked. Anzus thought for a second before answering.

"I will report the problem to the Almighty personally while you try and find a way back into the system. If this is a demon attack, we may have no choice but to dispatch not only the Valkyries but maybe even the Praetorians".

"That won't be possible" said a strong male voice from across the room. The three of them turned to see Heimdall. The Gate Guard, standing just inside the room. He held one hand across his chest, blood seeping from a deep gash and dripping onto the polished marble floor. He gasped as he tried to take a step but almost collapsed. Anzus was beside him in a second and caught him before he could fall.

"Heimdall! What happened?" she said as she supported him, not caring as his blood stained her white and blue stripped dress. Heimdall coughed hard, spitting blood and then looked up at her.

"It's Gate. Bifrost".

"What's happened? Heimdall, you must tell me". He coughed again and gasped.

"She's been taken. Jötunns. They took Bifrost!" Ere gasped at this.

"You mean…?"

"Yes. Heaven is sealed. We can't get out".

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_Earth. The bottom of the Atlantic. The ruins of an ancient city lay beneath the waves, lost to an ancient cataclysm millennia ago. It had once been the home of the Gods on Earth but it had been abandoned and eventually sank. Its name was Valhalla, although human's knew it as Atlantis. The lost city. And now, something stirred. A man but yet not a man. A man of clay, baked hard in the fires of a kiln and then given life though mystic writing's. Inside, it burned with a dull orange glow that shone outwards through its eye sockets, illuminating the deep ocean blackness. It began to move, the weight of the water above having little effect on its movement. It had a long way to go but this didn't matter. It had its orders. And if a golem is given orders then it will never stop._

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It was the following morning. A Sunday. The day that they could all spend at peace. No work, no need to make things, just relax. Keiichi was working on his bike, just keeping the engine in good order. Peorth, Mara, Urd and Skuld were in the middle of a game to decide who got to choose what to watch on TV. Lind was teaching Chrono, Eir and Saga a few complex combat moves. Belldandy was cooking. Jago was weeding out his vegetable patch. Everything was quiet. The sun shone. Birds sang. And then it all went pear-shaped. Keiichi reached across for a spanner. He couldn't find it so he stopped and looked around, just in time to see it disappear around the corner at break neck speed. He blinked, not quite sure what was happening.

"Wuh?" he managed before he heard Belldandy scream. He rushed to the kitchen and found Belldandy locked in a bitter struggle with a creature that appeared to be made of the contents of the fridge. "Belldandy!" he shouted and raced forward, trying to pull her out of the monsters reach by her armpits but as he tried, it latched onto her ankles with tentacles of pasta and began to pull her back towards its mouth. At that moment, Lind appeared and without a second thought, she summoned her halberd and brought it down hard on the creature's tentacles, severing them and freeing Belldandy.

"Quick!" she said and grasped both Belldandy and Keiichi by their collars, dragging them from the room. They quickly bolted the door and Keiichi fell to the floor panting.

"Are you ok Bell?" he asked. She nodded.

"I am, thanks to you" she said with a shy smile. She then turned to Lind, a look of concern on her face. "Have you been trying to cook again?" she asked. Lind blushed but shook her head.

"That was nothing to do with me" she said as they heard the food-monster throw itself against the door. Keiichi scratched his head.

"Well there's something funny going on" he said. "My toolbox just got up and ran away a second ago". They then heard a shout from the tea room. Urd and Skuld emerged laughing and they heard Peorth shouting.

"This is not funny!" she said. Out of curiosity Keiichi and Lind poked their heads around the door but quickly withdrew them again as a very naked Peorth began throwing things at them. Just then, the front door was thrown open and Jago, Chrono, Eir and Saga all came in, sheltering under a huge tower-shield that Jago was carrying over his head. He set it down against the wall and looked hard at the assembled goddesses.

"What the hell is going on!" he said. "There are lobsters in the carrot patch and unless it's my imagination, it's raining coconuts!" He paused as he saw the funny looks that the others were giving him. "What?" he said.

"Your hair!" Skuld said, trying hard not to laugh.

"What about it?" he said and pulled a lock down so he could see it. It was lime green. "Oh shit" he said.

"You think you have problems!" came a voice. They all turned to see a potted shrub come hopping out of the tearoom and then the leaves moved to reveal and angry looking face.

"Oh Mara…." Jago said. "You're a ficus?" Mara nodded.

"There's only one explanation for all this!" she said and pointed a twig at a seemingly random point in the room. The goddesses gasped.

"A bug!" shouted Skuld and she summoned her hammer, squashing the eight legged rabbit thing with a well-placed blow. She panted. "Where did that come from?" she said. "And why didn't my bug-chomper get rid of it?" She handed sets of bug-glasses to those around her and they began to check for more bugs.

"My god! I've found them!" Chrono said and they piled into the tea room, ignoring the protesting Peorth. Out of decency, Keiichi removed his shirt and tossed it to her, letting her make a run for the door. Jago snorted in humour at the rapidly retreating backside, earning him a slap on the back of his head and an extremely evil l look from Lind. Then all attention was turned to the bugs. There were millions of them! Every surface was covered with them and they seemed to be multiplying constantly. Urd turned to Skuld and Keiichi.

"You two! Get working on that bug-chomper or we'll be in serious shit! The rest of us will try and reduce their numbers!" Skuld and Keiichi nodded and disappeared, while Urd then turned to Jago. "Got a hammer?" she asked and Jago nodded, grinning. He muttered something and summoned a pair of heavy splitting-mauls, one in each hand.

"Will these do?" he asked and Urd nodded. The other goddesses were also in the process of summoning hammers of various sizes, with the exception of Lind who kept her halberd. A few seconds later, they were joined by Peorth, looking extremely annoyed and wearing some of Keiichi's cloths. She was taller than he was an also thinner so they fit poorly but she wasn't about to miss the opportunity to smash some bugs. She smacked Jago's head.

"Ow!" he said.

"That was for laughing!" she said and Lind grinned at him.

"Right then!" Urd said. "Let's get these bugs!"

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"I just don't get it" Skuld said. "There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the machine so I don't understand why it stopped working". Keiichi shrugged.

"Maybe it just ran out of power?" he said. Skuld looked at him as if her had just punched her sainted mother.

"It's powered by a super-efficient fusion reactor!" she said. "It can't run out of power!" Keiichi rubbed his head and looked embarrassed. A loud crash from the tearoom announced the start of the bug-hunting operation. The two continued to tinker with the machine for a while and all the while, the sound of crashing and smashing echoed throughout the temple. Eventually, they heard a crunch and a loud scream.

"MY FOOT IS NOT A BUG!" they heard Jago roar and he came hopping down corridor, clutching one of his feet. He stopped just outside Skuld's workshop and poked his head around the door. "How goes it?" he asked from between gritted teeth. Skuld sighed.

"I can't see anything wrong with the machine, so I can't see why there are so many bugs". Keiichi poked his head out of the window for a second.

"Well, at least its stopped raining coconuts" he said, trying the sound cheerful. At this point the phone rang and Keiichi went to answer it. However, when he picked up the handset, all he could hear was babble. "Hello?" he said, "Hello? Is there someone their?" He could just make out a female voice but he couldn't tell who it was. It didn't help that only very third word was audible.

"Must…Bugs…Warn…Belldandy…Gate…Jötunns…Crash…"

"Huh?" Keiichi said and Jago hopped over to him.

"Who is it?" he asked. Keiichi shrugged at him.

"Can't tell. I think it might be someone in Heaven but I can't tell who". Jago cocked his head and reached for the phone.

"Let's have a go" he said and Keiichi passed it to him. "Hey-up, who's this?" he asked and listened to the reply. "Can't tell what you saying. Try phoning my mobile" he said and rattled of his number. "Got that?" he asked.

"-es" was the reply.

"Ok, I'll hang up and you try calling again". He did and a few seconds later, his pocket began to jingle. He pulled out the phone and answered it.

"Hey-up?" he said.

"At last!" came the woman's voice. "We've been trying to call you all morning! This is urgent! I need to speak to Belldandy at once!"

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The goddesses were sat around the tearoom, all looking exhausted from the long bug-hunting session.

"Do you think we got them all?" asked Saga.

"Hard to say" said Belldandy. "I'm sure that we got most of them at least". It was then that Jago entered the room, carrying his phone with him and with Keiichi close behind.

"Hey Bell, you gotta call" he said. He was still limping from where Eir had smashed his foot with a hammer but at least now his hair was no longer green.

"Who is it?" she asked. Jago shrugged.

"Not sure, someone called Anzus" he said, tapping a button to put it on speaker-phone. Belldandy's eyes went wide at this.

"Mother!" she said and then took the phone. "Hello?" she said.

"Ah! Belldandy! It's good to speak to you" Anzus said.

"It's good to speak to you too" Belldandy said. "But why did you call? Is it to do with the bugs?"

"Yes. We've had some major problems here. There has been a major cyber-attack on Yggdrasil and the whole system has basically locked. We can't access anything and the debuggers have been deactivated".

"How? What could cause this?"

"Unknown. All we know is that while most of the system is still running, although inaccessible, the goddess support systems and the energy transfers have been severely damaged, meaning all those on the surface are on limited magic supplies. What we do know is that a bug seems to have infiltrated the system and then morphed into a virus, thereby shutting us out and basically preventing us from fixing the problem". Belldandy nodded.

"I see. That must be why the bug-chomper shut down". She paused for a second. "Could it be the demons?" she asked.

"Not likely" said Mara who had just entered the room. She was no longer a plant and had clearly just been on the phone with Hild as her face seemed to be frozen in a looked of pure horror. "I was just contacted by Hell and apparently Nidhogg is suffering from the same problems as Yggdrasil. Whatever is going on, it seems to be affecting both systems". Peorth leapt to her feet.

"In that case, I had better be getting back to Heaven. They're going to need every administrator they can" she said. Chrono nodded.

"I had better be going too" she said.

"Not possible" said Anzus, over the phone. "This isn't the only issue at the moment".

"Why, what else has happened?" Belldandy asked.

"Well, at approximately the same time last night that the system went offline, there was an attack on the outlying sectors of Heaven. We aren't clear on the details but it appears that a group of Jötunns were somehow able to overpower Heimdall and they have taken Bifrost". Belldandy gasped.

"Bifrost is missing?" she asked.

"Who's Bifrost?" asked Keiichi.

"It's Gate. After visiting Earth, she decided to change her name to that she could be told apart from the other Gates".

"You say that Jötunns took her?" Belldandy asked. "Why? I thought we had a treaty?"

"Unknown at this time. The Almighty is currently in discussion with the king of Jötunnheim in order to discover why they attacked".

"Who are the Jötunns?" Keiichi whispered to Belldandy.

"Powerful frost giants from the world known as Jötunnheim. We used to fight against them in the past but in recent years, there have been treaties that limit their ability to move to other worlds. If they have truly kidnapped Bifrost then war is a likely outcome".

"However, this is not the most immediate problem" said Anzus. "With Bifrost missing, Heaven is effectively sealed against all entry and exit".

"You mean…..?" asked Peorth.

"Yes Peorth. You can't return home". Peorth sighed .

"Well it could be worse" she said.

"That's not all though" said Anzus.

"What do you mean?" asked Belldandy.

"Well due to the problems with the energy transfer, meaning that the amount of magical energy that you will be receiving will be greatly reduced. As such, the Almighty has had to create a series of new restrictions in order to prevent further damage to the system. For the time being, there will be a limit to the number of spells that you will be able to cast. We don't yet know how many you will be allowed to use but it probably won't be more than two or three each".

"Three spells!" shrieked Urd. "How am I supposed to create my potions with only three spells!?"

"That is something you will have to work out on your own" said Anzus. She paused. "There is also something else you should know" she said. "Because so little energy can be transferred, it is likely going to affect your angels".

"How so?" asked Lind.

"Well basically you won't be able to support them without causing yourselves serious harm, particularly you Lind. While normally we would be forced to return them to their egg state, we have managed to find a loophole in the system".

"And what would that be?" asked Jago.

"You Twoarchs" Anzus said. "As Archs are capable of creating their own energy sources from whatever their Master or Mistress consumes, they can effectively survive without any need for support from Yggdrasil. So the plan is that we can hook the others into you Archs and through them the other angels can survive by effectively download temporary Arch systems into themselves. It will mean that while they can still perform some magic, they won't have to rely on Yggdrasil for energy and can probably use food as an alternative". Jago furrowed his brow and cross his arms although Anzus probably couldn't see him do so.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that" he said. "I mean it's probably reasonable but I just know that there will be a catch somewhere".

"Your right of-course" said Anzus. "While it shouldn't affect the power of your Archs, it will require that they both remain exposed at all times, as will all of those who are linked to them". Jago grunted.

"Hmmm. That could be a problem" he said. He looked across at the various goddesses and frowned. "What do you guys think?" Belldandy was the first to answer.

"Well before we do anything, we should probably discuss things".

"What's to discuss?" asked Urd. "We just hook into Lamb and then we can keep are angels".

"True" said Belldandy, "But it could be dangerous if we have to walk around with our angels constantly exposed". Anzus cleared her throat.

"If you need time to talk, we still need to finalise some things here before we can make any official changes. Would an hour be long enough to discuss things?" Jago thought for a second and then sighed.

"Ok, one hour. Call us back when you're ready".

"Ok. Will do" said Anzus and the phone clicked off. Jago huffed and rubbed his forehead, feeling the start of what was to become a massive headache.

"Right" he said. "First things first. Keiichi, fetch Skuld. I'm going to need her opinions as well. The rest of us had better head over to my place so that we can at least fit around the table". He paused for a second. "Oh and someone stick the kettle on. I'm gonna need some go-go juice".

8888

"Right, I want to hear as many views on this as possible" Jago said, taking a sip of his deadly black coffee, laced with brandy. Belldandy was about to speak, when Jago held up his free hand. "However, I want it known first off that I don't like this plan". He held up two fingers. "One: I think it might be dangerous to have our angels constantly exposed. If what Anzus has said is right then you will all be on limited power, meaning that if attacked, each of us is twice as likely to end up injured. Secondly: how are we going to hide them?" he said. "It's bad enough trying to goddesses a secret, never mind angels. I mean, they tend to stick out a bit in a crowd. It'll be especially difficult for Bell, Mara and Lind because you gotta go to work". He paused and took another sip of coffee. "Right, you have now all heard my objections. Now I want you to convince me". Belldandy nodded.

"Ok Jago. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we understand your objections. However, we would also like you to consider our position. Angles are our souls, representations of our spiritual selves. While it is true that we could survive without them, psychologically it would be quite upsetting. Without an angel, we would become more withdrawn, less sociable, at least until they were returned". Jago nodded.

"I see" he said. "But what about what I said? Wouldn't it be dangerous to have the exposed at all times?"

"While it is true that it would be dangerous to have them exposed, it may be more so to have them sealed" said Lind. "If we were attacked again, I feel that it would be better to have them there and be able to use their power, coupled with a greater risk of injury, rather than to need the extra power and not being able to access it". Jago nodded again.

"That sounds fair. Now what about my other concern?" Belldandy's forehead wrinkled in concern.

"Now that is something to worry about" she said. "As you said, it will be difficult to hide the presence of our angels for any great length of time if they are constantly exposed". At this point Urd chipped in.

"Can't cast some sort of invisibility spell or something to conceal them?" she asked. Belldandy shook her head.

"That would require a very powerful spell, one that would be difficult to maintain even if we had access to our full powers".

"So that's not an option then" said Urd.

"Maybe it is" said Damascus who had just appeared behind Jago.

"What do you mean?" asked Belldandy.

"Well invisibility may be out of the question but what about camouflage? A spell that would trick those who see them into thinking that they are human?"

"You know a spell that could do that?" asked Belldandy and Damascus snorted.

"Who do you think I am?" she sneered, crossing her arms. "You are talking not only to spellmaster but also to a Nightmare. A perception filter spell would do the trick; we used them all the time when I used to deliver dreams. It takes very little energy and can be turned off at will if needed".

"I would hate to agree with her but Damascus is right" said Lamb. "Something like that would defiantly work. The only problem is that it would need to be renewed daily or the effects will wear off".

"Well, I should be able to cover that" said Damascus. "I'm not as strong as I was but I still cast a perception filter".

"Ok then" said Jago. "If you think it will work then I suppose that I can' object".

"There is one thing" said Keiichi. "What are we going to do for food? I mean, Chihiro is generous with her pay and Lind and Mara's pay checks help but it won't be enough to cover all of our expenses". Jago nodded.

"Well, I'm making some money but I have to send most of it home" he said. Keiichi gave him an odd look and Jago sighed. "I borrowed a lot from my family while at uni and I said that I would pay it back when I got a proper job. So I am". He sipped his coffee. "The way I see it is this: I _might _be able to hire one or two more people for my forge. They won't be paid directly but any money they make while working for me can go into the communal pot. It's not going to be much though, certainly not enough to cover the expenses for…" he paused and counted his fingers, "twenty three people. I think. I'm not great at maths". He paused and thought for a second. "Ok, forget I mentioned it" he said, trying to reassure them. "We'll sort it out later. Right now, we need to get these spells sorted". At that moment the phone rang. Jago pulled it out and tossed it to Belldandy, who caught it expertly. "It'll be your mother so you can answer it!" he said with a grin. Belldandy nodded and clicked the phone open.

"Hello? Yes. Yes, he agreed to use the Arch-potency spell. Yes. Ok. Yes Mother. Goodbye" and she clicked the phone off. "She says that we should make our way outside. They've managed to set up the magical ring and it will be there when we get there. All we have to do is chant the spell and then the angels will be able to stay". Jago nodded and then downed what was left of his coffee.

"Right, let's get this over with".

8888

The circle was huge, nearly fifty feet across with smaller circles located within it. The pulsing energy from within caused Keiichi's and Jago's eyes to hurt.

"So how's this work?" asked Jago.

"Well, you have to stand in the centre of the ring and we take up positions around you. We all then have to chant the correct tune to make the spell work" Belldandy said.

"Do I have to chant too?" asked Jago.

"Yes" said Urd. "You have the most important job, as it is your angels that are being used for the copy". Jago blinked and looked doubtful.

"Don't worry Master" said Lamb, as they stepped into the ring. "We have to sing too and the tune will be projected directly into your mind so you won't need to worry about not knowing the actual spell".

"Ok" said Jago. "Let's do this". He stepped into the centre of the circle, folding his arms and closing his eyes. He rolled his shoulders to loosen up and cracked his neck. Behind him Damascus appeared, ready to begin her part. Around them, the goddesses each flashed in turn, summoning their official robes. Angels were summoned. Places were taken. And then they began to sing. In perfect a perfect unison of alto and soprano voices and through it all came Jago's steady tenor beat. Magic began to fill the circle and a purple and blue light began to shine, seaming to eclipse all other light. Angel voices trilled, filling the air with the sound of bells and running water and would have lightened the hearts of any who would have heard it. Even the least musical of them all; Lind and Mara came out beautifully as they sang. In perfect harmony they reached the climax of the spell, the light changing to gold and long chains of runes beginning to float through the air, reaching out to touch each of the assembled angels and devils. And then, the spell began to slow and die. One by one, they slowed to a stop. Jago was the last to finish, still going on for a few seconds longer than the rest, until he gradually came to a stop. He stood quietly for a few seconds and then he let out a shriek.

"AH!" he shouted. "MY BRAIN IS ITCHY!" he said, clawing at his scalp. Then he stopped. "Ok, I'm good". He looked around the circle. "You girls good?"

"Why does my stomach hurt?" asked Lind, holding her across belly. Most of the other goddesses were in similar positions, holding their stomachs and most of the younger ones were on the brink of collapse. Only Mara seemed unaffected.

"At a guess, that would be hunger" she said. "None of you have ever really needed to eat before so now that you have to rely on calories as an energy source, your bodies are trying to convert what they can into energy".

"So we need food" said Urd, "and quickly".

"Maybe I should start cooking" said Belldandy but almost collapsed before she could take a step. Luckily, Keiichi was able to catch her before she and Holybell fell.

"I don't think you should be doing anything just yet" he told her and she nodded.

"Perhaps you are right. But who's going to cook?"

"I can cover that" said Jago. "Got some emergency stuff stored away. Won't be great but it should help". He nodded at Keiichi.

"Come on K, let's get going".

8888

"So what do you call these again?" asked Chrono as she tore the flap off of the insulated silver packet. The smell of the pre-cooked contents caused her to wrinkle but she was too hungry to care.

"Not sure what they are officially" said Jago, handing a second pack to Heart of Sterling Silver who took it gratefully. "I know them as ration packs because that's what they are; army rations to be eaten on the move. Whatever they are, they smell kinda like garlic-farts but taste ok so long as you're not too fussy". He shrugged. "Then again, soldiers aren't too fussy".

"Can we have another couple of curries over here?" asked Saga. Jago grinned and reached around behind him to the huge bivvie (1*) he had equipped to his truck and pulled out a couple of steaming curry packs, tossing them to Eir, Saga and their angels; Silver Beech and Copper Beech.

"Well as a first meal as a near-mortal, it isn't too bad" said World of Elegance, tucking into a sticky toffee pudding.

"Glad to hear it" said Jago. "I just wish that I had some more fresh food and then we could make a proper feed of it". He paused and tore the seal off of pack of beef stew and handed it to Lamb, who took it gratefully. I suppose after this, we had better head to town and do some shopping". He then picked up a tin of Spam and cracked the lid and began cutting the processed meat into slices with his pocket knife and then levering them out so he could eat them. For a while, he just ate quietly, letting the others talk amongst themselves and occasionally tossing a ration pack or a tin to whoever asked for one. After a while he paused and he turned to Belldandy who was happily chatting to Peorth. "How many sets of cloths have you got?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" she asked, looking confused.

"I was just wondering". Belldandy blushed.

"I don't actually have any. None of us do, except for that jacket you gave to Lind".

"Then how do come you always seem to be wearing different outfits".

"Well usually" she said, "We summon them. Is that a problem?" Jago thought for a second.

"It could be. If you're on a limited set of spells, wouldn't it be a waste if you had to use your limited magic to summon new cloths each day?" Belldandy nodded.

"I suppose so" she said. "But what else can we do?" Jago thought about this for a while and looked across at Keiichi, who caught his eye and nodded. They both knew what needed to be done. It would be expensive but they had little other choice. They both sighed and Jago turned back to Belldandy.

"Ok. Got a plan. When we go shopping, Keiichi and I will get the food and I will lend you girls some money so you can get yourselves some cloths". Skuld was in front of him in seconds, inches from his face.

"You would really do that for us?" she said, stars in her eyes. He nodded.

"Ain't got much choice have I?" he said.

"Oooooh" said Skuld, almost dribbling as thought of all the things she could have. Unfortunately, Damascus could pretty much read her mind and shot her down in flames.

"Don't go thinking silks and satins. My Master isn't made of money".

"But are you sure?" asked Belldandy. "I mean, it would be your money we will be spending". Jago nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I have some rainy day cash set aside. Besides, I still owe you for letting me stay here". He paused for a second and looked around. "While we're at it, we might as well get some cloths for our angels as well. I mean, even in human disguise, we can't exactly have them walking around half naked, through the streets of Nekomi!" He smiled and they laughed, everyone clearly pleased with the suggestion. It was then Jago's brain stuttered to a halt. Problem.

"Just one thing" he said, "Names".

"Names?" asked Lind.

"Aye, names. Most particularly angel and devil names".

"What do you mean?" Keiichi sighed.

"I think I see what he's getting at" he said. "Most of them have names that aren't exactly common here on Earth".

"How do you mean?" asked Noble Scarlet, licking her spoon clean of ice-cream.

"Well, take you name for example" said Jago. "I have never met a human called "Noble Scarlet" before. As for say, "World of Elegance" well… oof" he said, scratching his head. " No offence meant" he said.

"None taken" World of Elegance replied.

"So you suggest that we find new names for our angels?" said Peorth, looking a little angry at the suggestion. Jago shook his head.

"No. I wouldn't ask that. But possibly shortened names, just so they don't stand out quite as much in public. I mean you would be easy. As I already say, Gorgeous Rose is Rosy. Would it be too much of a stretch if she went by that name in public?" Gorgeous Rose shook her head.

"No, I think I can live with that" she said, smiling. Holybell nodded in agreement to this.

"It would make sense if we took names like that" she said. "What about me? What do you think I should take?" Jago thought for a while, scratching his chin, muttering to himself.

"Holybell. Hhoolleeyybell. Holybbeellll" he said, rolling the name around in his mouth like a sweet. "Hhholybell. Hhholly. Holy. Ho-ha-ho. Holly". His eyes lit up. "Holly. That might work". He turned to her. "Holly?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Holly. I like it". Jago smiled at this and then turned to the others.

"Well, you get the idea" he said. "I can't come up with names for everyone, I'm not that good! But if you need my help, just ask. My only suggestion is that you try and choose a name that is fairly similar to your own so that it's easy to remember". They nodded and began to chatter excitedly. To be able to choose one's own name was something that few angels ever got to do and so they would make the most of this opportunity while they could.

1* The bivvie or boiling vessel is a large kettle that is uniquely fitted to British armoured vehicles so that soldiers can prepare food even in combat conditions. I know the Unimog is German but I couldn't resist.

**Authors note: to those have read this far, thanks! I have been told that from here it gets a little confusing but all should hopefully make sense in chapters 14/15. If I ever get them finnished!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**The Brother and an Injection of Normality**

Keiichi and Jago sat alone outside of a café in the Nekomi shopping arcade, each enjoying their own drink. It had been a hectic morning; setting up the camouflage spells, organising everyone so that would actually fit into the back of Jago's truck, hitching up the three-quarter-ton trailer, many things! Belldandy and Holybell had opted to go with Keiichi on his bike, in order to save room but it was still a tight squeeze to fit everyone into Unimog and it had remained a cramped journey all the way into town. It was also just about the most expensive shopping trip that had ever been organised. Jago had still had about a third of the money that had been left over from his fights but now he account was nearly empty. Still, he couldn't help but smile.

"Here go" he said, handing Belldandy the thick wad of notes. "You're in charge so don't spend it all on sweets!" He and Keiichi had then departed, each carrying an army issue bergan in order to collect the groceries while to girls procured some clothes for themselves. Unfortunately, Jago had forgotten that poor Keiichi was only a little guy and wasn't used to carrying his own body weight in food and it wasn't long before they had been forced to stop and rest. However, it was quiet day and in comparison with how chaotic life had become at the temple over the last few weeks, it was nice to have a bit of peace. Of course it wouldn't last. I this case, the interruption came in the form of a gaggle of approaching women. Jago and Keiichi turned to great them but then realised that it wasn't who they were expecting. These women were all clustered around one man, a man who had caused almost as much trouble for Keiichi and Bell as Hild: Toshiyuki Aoshima, the rich playboy who had tried for years to steal Belldandy for years. Since Keiichi had graduated, he hadn't seen Toshiyuki around much but whenever they met, it always meant trouble. Hoping that he wasn't spotted, Keiichi quickly turned around but before long, he heard the inevitable drawl that signalled the start of another challenge.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Morisato" said Toshiyuki, walking up to table. "My, my, isn't this a surprise".

"Toshiyuki, it's been a while" said Keiichi, feigning pleasure.

"Yes it has been a while, hasn't it?" said Toshiyuki. "Where's Belldandy? Don't tell me that you two finally broke up?" he asked with a sneer, knowing it would get Keiichi's goat.

"No we did no!" said Keiichi, looking indignant. "We just have some fiends staying so we came to town to do some shopping. She's just gone to find herself some new clothes". Toshiyuki nudged his glasses up his nose slightly.

"Friends? Who pray tell?"

"Well me for a start" said Jago. He stood, removing his Stetson and holding out a hand with a half-smile. "Jago Finch, at your service sir". Toshiyuki barley even gave it a glance, so Jago withdrew it awkwardly.

"Jago you say? At what do you do for a living pray tell?"

"Blacksmith, goldsmith and specialist metal worker. I also dabble in a little filigree now and then".

"A blacksmith?" said Toshiyuki with barely concealed disdain. "You mean you actually work for a living?" Jago nodded. "Oh, how quaint". Jago's face hadn't budged from its usual smile but Keiichi saw one hand twitch slightly, trying to ball into a fist. Keiichi decided that he had better defuse the situation before it went too far.

"So Toshiyuki, what brings you to town?" he asked.

"Oh that? I was simply out for a stroll and when I saw you over here with this…" he paused and flicked his eyes over Jago, "foreigner, I thought I would come over and say hello to my old class mate". He smiled and then went on. "In fact, I was rather hoping that I could catch up with you Morisato as I was hoping to make a proposition to you".

"And what might that be?"

"Well, I was planning a little entertainment for a group of motorsports investors who were coming to visit next month and I was hoping that you could assist me with organising it". Keiichi sighed inwardly, knowing that this was probably another of his ill-conceived attempts to steal Belldandy but he nodded and smiled.

"Ok. What did you have in mind?"

"It's quite simple really: I was planning a race around Nekomi. The winner would receive a fabulous prize and would likely seal a good investment deal for whoever they represent". Keiichi nodded.

"A race you say? What kind of race?"

"Just a race around the city streets. However," and be put on a sly grin, "as a special part of the course, each team must figure out a way to cross the harbour without using wither the ferry or the main bridges".

"You're talking about amphibious cars aren't you?" asked Jago.

"Well that's one possibility" said Toshiyuki, smiling. He knew full well that any vehicle that was created by either Whirlwind or the Autoclub would struggle with such a difficult task and he also knew that if Belldandy found out about the race and that Keiichi had backed out of it, she would never forgive him. Jago grinned, almost reading his mind. He had his own plan.

"All right, I'm in!" he said, catching Toshiyuki by surprise.

"You?" but then he recovered his composure. "You can't be serious? I doubt you even have a team to enter with". Jago snorted.

"Just you wait" he said and then paused for a second, thinking. "What do you drive mate?" he asked. Toshiyuki's brow furrowed.

"A Ferrari Enzo" he said, "Why?"

"Well if you think you can win, would you be interested in racing for pink-slips? Straight up. Your Ferrari wagered against my modified Unimog U5000?" Toshiyuki thought about this for a second and then nodded.

"Very well, I accept. I must warn you when I win, I will take great pleasure in having your car destroyed" he said with a sneer. He turned to Keiichi. "What about you Morisato? Are you man enough to race me?" Keiichi looked uncertain and glanced across at Jago who simply winked at him.

"Ok, I accept" he said. Toshiyuki smiled and nodded.

"Good? What about the stakes then?" Jago jumped in at this point.

"I think we'll organise that at a later date, ok mate?" Toshiyuki looked like he was about to object but then nodded.

"Fine" he said. "I will see you in one month". He turned to leave but glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh and Morisato, tell Belldandy that I said high". And then he left, followed by his ever-present gaggle of girls. After a few minutes Jago glanced around.

"Is he gone?" he asked. Keiichi nodded.

"Urrrhhh!" said Jago, shaking himself out like he had just some out of the shower. "What an unbearable little creep!" he said. "He made my skin crawl". Keiichi nodded.

"He's a real pain. Ever since Belldandy showed up, he's been fixated on her, even though he's had half the girls in this city". He paused for a second. "Why did you volunteer? You know there's a good chance that you are going to lose your truck". Jago nodded.

"Aye, that would be a shame but that's not my major concern" he said and leaned in close. "It was the smell!" he whispered.

"What smell?" asked Keiichi.

"I'm not surprised you didn't notice it" said Jago. "With all that posh cologne he wears, it was hard to detect but it was there alright".

"What was?"

"I don't know but something that shouldn't have been" said Jago. Keiichi shivered.

"You mean a devil?" he asked. Jago cocked his head and then shook it.

"No. It wasn't burnt tin, it was something else. I can't quite place it but whatever it was, it wasn't a normal organic smell". He rubbed his face as if to clear his thoughts. "Well, whatever it was, I don't like it and it would be better to be safe than sorry" he said. Keiichi nodded.

"I suppose your right" he said. "But if it wasn't a demon, then what could it be?" Jago shrugged.

"Who knows" he said. "I'll ask Bell or Lind when they get back, they might know the answer". He grinned and pointed. "Ah, speak of the devil!" he said and finished his coffee before shouldering his bergan. "I'll let you explain things to Bell, ok?"

8888

The trip back to the temple was a boisterous one, with the goddesses, angels, demons and devils all chatting excitedly about the prospect of the upcoming race. Most of them had obviously met Toshiyuki at some point and if not then they had at least read his file and so knew about his devious schemes. To have two separate teams competing against not only him but also each other was a truly thrilling prospect. Jago and Lind however were mostly silent after the initial explanation, both wrapped up in their own thoughts. In particular, they were focussed on what that unusual smell might be, especially after the incident with the Angel-Eater. They were both so wrapped up in their own thoughts that none of them really registered the taxi that came the other way down the road from the temple. If Jago had known the trouble it would bring, he might have just stopped the car then.

They were just pulling up to the temple when they spotted him. A boy, about fifteen was stood at the base of the temple steps, a suitcase too one side and a rucksack to the other. He was clearly a foreigner, quite tall, about five foot six and dark haired, grown into a natural ponytail at the back. Jago slowed as they pulled closer and grinned. There was only one person in the world who would turn up here out of the blue, with hair like that. He slowed to a stop and hopped out as the boy turned to face the truck. The two folded their arms and scowled at one-another.

"You got a lotta nerve showing up here of all places" Jago said. The boy nodded.

"I should same the same to you" the boy said. "How long has it been Jago? Nearly a year?"

"Longer" said Jago with a nod. They returned to staring at one another. And then they both grinned.

"It's good to see you Jago!" the boy said, running forward and wrapping him in a great bear-hug. Jago chuckled.

"Oh put me down, you don't know where I've been!" he said and the boy released him, only for Jago to hug him back with one of his own bone-crushing hugs. "And you still can't give a good bear-hug!" he said and they both fell about laughing. At this point Lind appeared, having climbed down from the truck's cab.

"Hey Jago, do you know this kid?" she asked. Jago snorted and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"I should hope so! Lind, meet Bob. This is my little brother!"

8888

"Are you really Jago's little brother?" Eir asked Bob as they sat around the table in Jago's cottage. Lamb, Damascus, Belldandy, Keiichi, Urd, Skuld and Lind were also present but the others had been warned to stay away for now, so as not to overwhelm him. Bob nodded.

"Yep, that's me!" he said beaming.

"You don't look much like him" commented Saga and it was true, despite being brothers, they were almost nothing alike. Their only common features were their eyes and the shade of their hair. Green-brown eyes, mud-brown hair. Everything else was different. While Jago was plump with a layer of muscle underneath, Bob was thin as a pencil with arms that even at their thickest point; Jago could wrap his hand around. In skin tone, they were different. Jago was fairly pale, with long blond hairs down his arms but Bob had a permanent yellow-brown tan and the hair on his arms was almost black. Their hair texture was different; Jago's was tightly curled, almost like an unshorn sheep but Bob's was long straight. Even the way they spoke was different. Jago's voice was deeper although whether this was age or just nature, could not be said and when he spoke, he would jump from accent to accent in a matter of seconds, often without even knowing it. Bob on the other hand only had one voice. It was a pleasant rasp that could convey in a few words all the meaning that would normally require several sentences. However he couldn't pronounce the letter "R", instead pronouncing a "W". In response to Saga's comment, Bob shrugged.

"Half-brothers" he said. "But it doesn't matter, we're still brothers". Jago nodded at this.

"Aye, that we are" he said. He sat down opposite his little brother and smiled. "So, what brings you to Japan?" he asked. Bob hung his head a little.

"School" he said. Jago sighed.

"Ok. What happened?"

"The gypsies" said Bob. Jago nodded, unsurprised. Normally, he had nothing against gypsies but the ones in the village that his mum had moved to were bad. Kosiyo was the main one, a fat layabout who had once spent a year in prison after he had broken into an old grandmother's house and had stolen her winter food store. He would steal anything. Once, even the battery out of the village bus. Him and his gang were universally hated by both the locals and the Ex-pats who lived there. Especially the Ex-pat kids. Up until Jago's family had shown up, the Ex-pat kids were the targets of choice. Soft, lazy city kids who couldn't tell their arse from their elbow. It was Bob who had sorted them out. The gypsies quickly learnt to fear Bob's vicious right hook after on the first day of school, he had broken two noses and blacked three eyes. The problem was now that the gypsies had figured him out; he had a horrible temper and was easy to goad into a fight. It had gotten him into trouble at school several times and now he was on the verge of suspension. Jago was the only one they now truly feared. Whenever he was Jago was the only one they now truly feared. Whenever he was even rumoured to be in the country, the gypsies would run a mile.

"I'm guessing that Mum wants me to try and help with the temper right?" Jago asked. Bob nodded.

"That's right. If nothing else, then you could at least teach me to fight like you do so that I don't end up coming home bleeding again". Jago nodded.

"I see your problem. I told you, that temper would be the end of you one day". Bob nodded.

"Well, will you help me?" Jago sighed.

"Not my call mate" he said. "It's up to Keiichi whether you can stay". He gestured towards the shorter man. Keiichi thought for a second and then gave an answer.

"I suppose it would be ok for him to stay, especially as he's already here". He was quite glad that Jago had thought to lend him a two-way translation spell before the meeting. Bob beamed and bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you sir!" he said.

"Not sir, just call me Keiichi".

"Ok" said Bob. Jago clapped his hands together and smiled.

"Good, good, Добре, Добре!" He stood and turned to Eir and Saga. "Could you two show him around for me? A guided tour like, while I set up some… er, accommodation for him?" They nodded and left, taking Bob with them. "As for the rest of you, I'm sorry about this. I know it's going to be difficult with another person living here but I couldn't say no to the bugger after he came all this way".

"It's ok" said Belldandy, smiling. "He is your brother after all". At this point, Urd yawned.

"Well, this has all been riveting but I personally have had enough excitement for one day" she said, stretching her arms out and rubbing her shoulders. Jago nodded.

"Yeah, better get on" he said, picking up his phone. "Keiichi, could I borrow you for a while? After I get his room sorted, I'm gonna need to find a school to enrol him in". Keiichi nodded.

"No problem, happy to help".

"I just hope he doesn't get himself into trouble again" said Jago with a sigh.

8888

After his tour, Eir and Saga left Bob to his own devices and he was free to wander around and explore. Bob was deeply impressed with the size of the temple and its grounds more than anything. While his mum's place was fairly large, this was vast and unlike most of his garden, there was actually grass rather than weeds, a vegetable garden and mud where the chickens were allowed to roam. However, he soon became bored and ended up sitting on the step outside, just watching the last of the plum blossom blow from the trees. Soon though, the sound of grunts and of fighting caught his attention. He decided to investigate and as he rounded the corner of the temple he spotted the source of the commotion. Chrono and her angel, Heart of Stirling Silver were taking advantage of their enforced separation to practice their bare-hand fighting skills against an equally skilled opponent: each other. Bob was enraptured, watching the two fight as if they were dancing; coming together, exchanging blows, blocking dodging and then separating again, only to repeat the process a few seconds later. So busy was Bob with watching them that he didn't hear Lamb's approach until she was stood next to him.

"Impressive aren't they?" she inquired (*1), making Bob jump. He looked sheepish but nodded.

"Yes" he said and he turned to face the smiling angel. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare at them" he said.

"Don't worry" said Lamb. "It's good to know that one's work is appreciated". Bob cocked his head.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"Well I helped to train them" she said.

"You trained them? You must be one hell of a fighter!" Lamb nodded.

"Not just me though. It was mostly Lind and Ma- Jago who did the actual work". She blushed, realising that she had nearly called Jago Master. She wasn't supposed to that while she was disguised. Bob appear not to notice; in fact he just looked impressed.

"Wow" he said simply and then shook himself. "Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced yet. I'm Bob" he said and held out a hand. Lamb took it and shook it warmly.

"Jago's little brother right? He told me all about you. They call me Lamb, by the way". Bob cocked his head.

"Why do they call you Lamb?" he asked.

"My hair" she said, curling one of her long, dark locks around a finger. "Jago said it reminds him of a new-born lamb". Bob smiled.

"Did he say an astrakhan lamb by any chance?" he asked. She blushed.

"Yes, in fact he did".

"Figures" said Bob. "It was something that Mum used to call him when he was younger". Lamb nodded and then they both turned back to the fight. It was a while before either of them spoke but eventually Bob broke the silence.

"Why are there so many girls living here?" he asked. "I mean so far, the only guys I've seen are Keiichi and my brother". Lamb thought on this for a second.

"Well, Keiichi and Belldandy were the first live here and later, Bell's sisters moved in. The rest of us came later bur you're not wrong, Jago and Keiichi were the only men until you showed up".

"I see" said Bob, grinning slyly. "I bet that means-"he started to say but Lamb shot him a warning look.

"I know what you are about to say and I resent your notion of impropriety" she said. "Keiichi is completely loyal to Belldandy and Jago has eyes for no-one but Lind. It's the only reason that she agreed to move in with him when we ran out of space at the temple". Bob cocked his head at this.

"Him and Lind? But she's so cold. I've only been here a little while but in all that time, I've feeling that she never smiles". Lamb shrugged.

"Stranger things have happened".

"To be honest, I thought that you and my brother might be a couple" said Bob, causing Lamb to blush.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Well, just looking at the pair of you, you seemed like an obvious pair. I mean I suppose that it would be possible for him and Lind but you seemed more likely". Lamb shook her head.

"We do have a relationship but not in the way you seem to think. I could never sleep with him" she said.

"Why, is there something wrong with my brother?"

"No" she said, shaking her head. "He's more of a, er… soul mate and a guardian than anything else".

"A guardian?"

"Yes. I got into trouble in Manchester and it just so happened that he showed up at the right time to save me. I didn't have anywhere else to go and he said he would protect me, so now I live with him. Well, me and my, er sister Damascus". Bob nodded.

"That sounds like something he would do. Jago's always been a sucker for pretty girls in trouble". Lamb smiled.

"Yes, your brother is a good man. I know that he wasn't always but now, he does what he can for those who need it". Bob smiled.

"You love him don't you?"

"Yes, but I could never take him from Lind. She needs him more". Bob's brow wrinkled but decided not to asked. Instead, he turned his attention back to sparing match.

"So who are they?" he asked, gesturing towards Chrono and Heart of Sterling Silver.

"Well, the one with silver hair is actually called Silver, for obvious reasons. The other is Chrono".

"Chrono" muttered Bob, rolling the word in his mouth. Lamb smiled at this.

"Would you like me to introduce you?" she asked. Bob's head snapped around, his face red.

"NO, NO!" he said but it was too late.

"Chrono! Silver! Come here a minute!" she called and they disengaged, jogging over to the pair.

"Greetings Mistress Lamb" said Chrono. "What can we do for you?" she asked.

"This is Bob" said Lamb, "Jago's little brother, come to stay for a while". Chrono smiled.

"Hello there, I'm Chrono" she said with a smile, extending a hand.

"Bob" he said with a gulp and gingerly took her hand.

"And I'm Silver" said Heart of Stirling Silver, also offering her hand which Bob again gingerly took, blushing all the while. They then stood looking awkward for a while, until the appearance of Damascus.

"There you are Lamb!" she said with obvious annoyance. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" She then paused when she spotted Bob and crossed over to him. "Is this Jago's little brother?" she asked, bending over slightly to look him in the face. Bob was fairly tall for his age, about five-foot-six but Damascus was much taller, dwarfing Lamb and was in fact only a fag-butt shorter than Jago himself. Bob was clearly afraid of this tall, beautiful woman with her purple, spiked hair and bulging cleavage but fought hard to hide it, even when her the tips of her fangs slipped below her top lip, giving her an impish grin. He gulped and forced a smile.

"Yes, I'm Bob" he said and she grinned.

"You're a brave one" she said. "There aren't many who can hide their fear of me when they first meet me". Lamb stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Leave off Damascus, you know Jago wouldn't be happy if he found out you were toying with his little brother". Damascus dropped her grin and straitened.

"Chill, I was just teasing. I would never hurt the little guy". She shot Bob a quick grin. "However, _sister _dear, I need you for something".

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure; I just know that Jago requested our assistance with something". Lamb nodded and turned to Chrono.

"Can I trust you to look after Bob while we're gone?" she asked her. Chrono nodded.

"We would be glad to look after him" she said. Lamb smiled and turned to follow Damascus, leaving Bob alone with the two girls. Awkward silence.

"So…" said Bob.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering about those moves you two were just using. Do you think you could teach how to fight like that?" They looked taken aback.

"Are you sure? We make not look like it but both Chrono and I are very good fighters" said Silver. Bob nodded.

"Well, it's what my Mum sent me here to learn; how to fight without losing my cool" Chrono eventually nodded.

"Alright but I must warn you, I won't hold back". Bob nodded.

"That's ok" he said and raised both fists. "Come on then, hit me with your best shot".

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Holybell was enjoying her first day as a human. She loved the feeling of the ground beneath her feet, the feeling of life that came from everything, the warmth of the sun, the kiss of the wind, the way that her new cotton dress rustled gently as she moved. Everything! She skipped happily through the hallway, revelling in it all. In fact, this was the first time that she had been separate from Belldandy and she was willing to savour every new sensation she could while she had the chance. And tonight, she and her Mistress would share a room with the man they loved. She smiled happily and began to sing; a cheerful little tune of one who has no worries or cares. However, it didn't last long as a flying shape came crashing through the wall of the tea room and upended the table.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she heard Chrono say and she saw that the thing was actually Master Jago's little brother. For a second, he just lay there and she began to worry for him but then he leapt to his feet.

"YOU FILTHY HARLET!" he shouted and started forward, apparently unfazed by the fact he had just been punched through a wall. "I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR NECK OUT!" he said and charged Chrono, fists swinging. Holybell watched the two for a while, confused by what she saw. Jago's little brother was clearly out-classed by Chrono when it came to fighting. She could tell that Chrono was holding back but Bob was still unable to land a single hit while taking a pounding himself. However, every time he went down, he would be back on his feet in seconds, apparently no worse for wear but also getting increasingly angry. It was almost like he was made of rubber. However, she thought it would probably be best if she stopped them now before they could do any permanent damage to each other.

"Excuse me?" she asked stepping forward.

"Oh, Mistress Holly!" said Chrono, stopping in her tracks and turning to face the angel. "I didn't see you there". Holybell nodded and smiled.

"That's ok. It's just that you and Silver have been training all afternoon and with Bob here as well, I thought it might be best to take a break". Chrono nodded and turned to Bob who still looked angry but appeared to be calming.

"I think it would be best if we stopped now" she said. "Jago would be furious if we hurt you on the first day you were here". Bob nodded.

"Alright then" he said. Holybell clapped her hands.

"Ok then, how about I make us some tea? You look like you could use a drink". Bob nodded.

"That would be good" he said and then paused. "You got any bread?" he asked. "You see the best thing to have with tea is toast and I have some of my Mum's home-made jam that I want to try". He blushed. "I mean if that's alright". Holybell nodded.

"That sounds wonderful" she said and they proceeded inside.

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The darkened room. The two still sitting.

"Well this is certainly interesting" said the man, watching the proceedings at the temple through the projected screen. "It would seem that Twoarchs has a little brother". The woman nodded.

"But he is of no concern. Look, he can barely hold his own against that Valkyrie trainee!" she said with a sneer.

"True" said the man, "But it may make our job more difficult if he becomes more protective. Perhaps, it would be best to eliminate him?" The woman was silent for a while.

"It is a possibility" she said after a while, "But assassination could be dangerous if we used one of our own". The man nodded.

"Perhaps you are right" he said. "What about our human spy? Would he be capable of performing the assassination?"

"As we have promised him Belldandy in return for his services, he would be willing to do just about anything. However, he isn't exactly a trained killer and he would likely botch the job. A better plan would be to leave him to his primary mission and allow him to set up the rendezvous with the Unkillable so as to deal with those Archs. If we need to though, he could indeed be used to deal with the brother". The man nodded.

"That sounds fair. Fine, for now we wait and allow the golem to complete its objective".

"Agreed".

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Bob lay awake in bed for a long time, unable to sleep. So much had happened today that he was still pumped with excitement. He had met so many new people and Belldandy and Holly had made a terrific meal although he hadn't been quite sure if he knew what exactly had been served. After dinner, Jago had cracked him a weak shandy and they had sat and talked for a while, just catching up on everything that had happened to each of them since they had last seen each other. He had also got a chance to talk to Lind and her two sisters; Koel and Spies, discovering that Lind in particular was actually a lot nicer than he had originally thought. After a while though, she had called it a night and retired to her with her sister's room, leaving him alone with Jago, Damascus and Lamb. They had played cards for a while and he was sure that Jago was cheating like he always did but he never quite managed to figure out how. Eventually, Jago had also called it a night and him and the two girls had also gone to bed although, it puzzled Bob why they all shared a room. He was left to his own devices but eventually decided to head to bed himself; the TV was mostly in Japanese and while there were plenty of books in Jago's shelf, he had read most of them. And so here he was, tired but unable to sleep. It was odd. He had never had his own room before and he had felt awkward about it when he realised that all of the others were sharing just one. He sighed and turned over. He would be going to school in a few days and it would have to be the start of a new chapter for him. He sat up. A new chapter may be coming but for now, he had a more important problem to worry about; he was hungry. So maybe there was one advantage to having an older bother with his own place; being allowed to eat whatever he wanted without asking.

He made his way to the kitchen and set about making a huge pile of sandwiches. Salami, ham, cheese, there was everything. He sat at the kitchen table and began working his way through the pile. It was a while later that he felt the presence of another person in the room. He turned to face the door and smiled when he realised that it was Lamb. He waved her in.

"Hi Lamb!" he said. "Don't worry, just making som-"but then he stopped and a look of horror. Lamb had changed. She seemed taller, she wore nothing but a few strips of cloth, she appeared to be glowing and most importantly, _she had grown fucking wings!_ He was out of his chair and backed up against the far wall, breathing hard and looking terrified. Lamb tried to approach but he just cringed back, causing her to look concerned. "What the fuck man!?" Bob asked. "Lamb! You're dead!" She cocked her head at this and apparently said something but no words came out, just a kind of white-noise. "Wuh?" Bob asked. "Are you trying to say something?" She appeared to stop and think and then started searching the kitchen until she found what she was looking for; a stainless steel knife with a highly reflective blade. Bob watched in horror as she held it up to herself but then realised that she was only using it to check her reflection.

Lamb's face fell. She set down the knife and turned back to Bob. She made a motion with her hand, telling him to stay put. He nodded. She disappeared out of the kitchen and then Bob heard a muffled, one-way conversation.

"Wuh? Oh, what's up Lamb?" Jago asked. "Yeah, I can see that. A problem? Ah, I see. Well, we had better go and explain things to him" and he heard the springs of Jago's bed creak. Lind sighed sleepily and then Jago appeared at the kitchen door, pulling on an old, blue dressing gown. Behind him was Lamb and further behind her was Damascus who now appeared to be dressed as a devil. Jago gave Bob a sleepy smile and pulled up a chair, indicating that Bob chow do the same. Bob sat down nervously, eyeing the two women behind his brother. Jago sighed.

"Looks like my secret is out then" he said. Bob cocked his head.

"You have two dead girls living in your house?" Jago couldn't help but laugh.

"No, nothing like that" he said. "Perhaps it would be best if I explained a few things".

8888

"And that's why they needed the disguise" said Jago, finishing his coffee. Bob looked like he had broken something in his brain but at least he now understood about angels, devils and why his brother was living here. He was quiet for a while and so Lamb leaned forward and said something to Jago. He nodded.

"She says that she's sorry that she scared you" said Jago. Bob nodded at Lamb and then he thought of something.

"Are there any more angels living here?" he asked. "I know you said that all goddess's have angels but how can I tell who is and who isn't if they are disguised". Jago nodded.

"Well I'm told you've already met some of them. You've met Holly and Silver, right? Well their real names are Holybell and Heart of Stirling Silver. We just thought it would be best if they used nick-names, they would be a bit less obvious to the public". Bob nodded.

"I guess that makes sense" he said. "So…. Who do they belong to?" he asked. "Silver and er…"

"Holybell?"

"Yes, her". Jago scratched his head.

"Well little Silver is Chrono and Holly is Belldandy's angel". Bob nodded.

"I thought so, they're very alike. What about the rest? Are there any others?" Jago raised a hand and started counting them off on his fingers.

"Yep. Uh, you met Koel and Spies? Real names Cool Mint and Spear Mint. Actually a rare set of single winged twins, both belonging to Lind".

"Ah! So that's why so many of you share one room!"

"Aye. Now let me see. There's Little Red, AKA Noble Scarlet. She's with Skuld. There's Ella also known as World of Elegance, who belongs to Urd. Rosy or Gorgeous Rose is with Peorth". Bob nodded.

"I don't suppose that Argentum and Cuprum are with Eir and Saga, are they?" Bob asked Jago nodded.

"That's right. But don't ask who is with who; I only met them yesterday and I can barely tell them apart, never mind who belongs to who. Their real names though are Silver Beech and Copper Beech". He paused and scratched his head. "I think that's the lot. Oh no, I missed one! Have you met Mara yet?" Bob shook his head. "Well Mara is or rather was a demon, now retired and her devil was affected in much the same way as the angels. You'll know her if you see her, she's blond, she's scary and she has a bad temper. Her devil isn't much better. Technically she's called Beautiful Chaos but as is, she's called Belle. I feel sorry for her though, she's the only devil here apart from Damascus and they don't get along very well". He sighed. "Is that everything you needed to know? I know it's a bit mind-blowing but you'll get used to it".

"Just one thing" said Bob. "Can _you_ use magic now?" he asked.

"Me?"

"Yeah. I mean you have like, super powerful angels so you should be able to use magic right?" Jago nodded and snapped his fingers, causing a flame to grow from his thumb.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked.

"Cool!" said Bob. "Can you do anything else?"

"You bet I can but I have no intention of doing so right now".

"I see" said Bob, looking a little disappointed. Jago smiled.

"Don't worry. If it means anything, I built this house using magic and I'm only getting better at it". Bob looked amazed.

"You built this house using magic?"

"And the forge. If you want, tomorrow I'll show you". Bob nodded and smiled.

"That would be awesome!"

"Good, good, Добре, Добре" said Jago. "But for now I suggest we get some sleep as it's now…" he glanced at his clock, "Quarter past on in the morning I have work in the morning". Bob smiled and yawned.

"Suppose you're right" he said. "Night then".

"Night Bob" Jago said and stood to leave the kitchen, followed by the Archs. As they left, Damascus turned and blew a kiss over her shoulder, winking at Bob. He blushed. "Down girl!" said Jago with a chuckle. "He's me brother after all!"

8888

A couple of days had passed since the energy sharing spell had been cast and life had pretty much returned to normal. Most of them had managed to find jobs of some sort and now enough money was being made collectively to support the group. It had been a shock to them when Bob had slipped up and actually called Holybell by her name but Jago had explained about what had happened and it was now accepted that he knew about the goddesses. He was accepted into school and seemed to be doing well, having not got into any trouble yet. However, Jago had yet to make good on his promise to employ one of them at his forge. He said he needed time to decide who to train. In the end though, he took a volunteer.

Noble Scarlet left the house in tears. She and Skuld had had another falling out after they had been on a date with Sentaro and Noble Scarlet had once again tricked Skuld into kissing him. Like the last time this had happened, it had resulted in a rather one-sided argument and Noble Scarlet had been forced to leave.

"Why does she hate me whenever I try something like that?" she asked herself. "I know she has feelings for him so why won't she let me help?" She sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. She knew that there might be someone around the temple and so wanting to be alone, she headed into the woods. She hadn't gone very far though when she heard singing.

_"Love hit me like a ten pound hammer,"_

_"A ten pound hammer with a five foot swing!"_

_"Love hit me like a ten pound hammer,"_

"_A ten pound hammer with a five foot swing!"_

Curious, she followed the sound and eventually reached Jago's clearing. He was the one singing, using it keep beat as he steadily worked his way through a pile of timber, splitting logs into kindling sized pieces. For a while, Noble Scarlet just watched him unsure what to do. In all honesty, she was still scared of him. He may be a nice person but he was still built like bear, even if now he was a bit less hairy. On top of this, for a young angel like her whose mistress had been raised on tales of the fear inspired by the Nightmare's, Damascus was truly terrifying. So much so that when said devil sidled up behind her and whispered into her ear, she jumped nearly ten foot into the air.

"Ah! Don't eat me!" she said, huddling up with her hands held over her head. Damascus smiled.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't eat you". Noble Scarlet peeked up at the imposing.

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course not! You wouldn't make above a mouthful, not after you're skinned and boned!"

"Eek!" said Noble Scarlet and returned to her huddle.

"Damascus" said Jago with a half-smile, "What have I told you about trying to eat our neighbours?" The devil pouted.

"But Master, I was only teasing. I wouldn't really".

"Hmmf" snorted Jago and he crossed over to them. "Hey Little Red" he said, holding out a hand to Noble Scarlet. Then he saw her tears and his face turned to concern. "Oh, why Little Red! Why so blue?" Noble Scarlet took his hand and pulled herself up, wiping her eyes.

"It's nothing" she said, looking down.

"No, no, I'm not having that" he said. "You tell me what's wrong". She shook her head, glancing at Damascus. He caught her look and sighed. "Would you at least let Lamb talk to you?" She nodded and sniffed.

"Alright" she said and Jago smiled.

"Good, good" he said and pointed to the forge. "She'll be in there" he said and watched as the melancholy angel disappeared inside, before turning to Damascus. "I think you need to work on your people skills a bit" he said. "I can't have you scaring the shit out of every angel that comes to visit".

"If you say so" she said and then they both broke out laughing. "We're a right pair of wicked bastards aren't we?"

"Yep!" After a while, they stopped and Damascus gave a serious look.

"Would you like me to have a word with Skuld?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"That might be an idea" he said. "I can guess what the problem is and I may have a solution but it would be better if I had confirmation before I gave it the go-ahead".

8888

"So what's on your mind?" Lamb said, pulling a two-hundred pound anvil over to where Noble Scarlet was sitting and plopping down on it. Noble Scarlet gave her a nervous look. She sighed. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone".

"Well…" Noble Scarlet began but stopped.

"Go on" said Lamb, encouragingly.

"Ok. My Mistress and I have had a falling out" Noble Scarlet said, looking down. "I think it's because of that boy she likes, Sentaro. We were on a date with him today and I did something I probably shouldn't have".

"What did you do?"

"I-I tricked her into kissing him" she said, blushing. Lamb looked confused.

"Is that all?" Lamb asked. "Whenever my Master and Lind kiss, they seem to enjoy it". Noble Scarlet blushed redder. Lamb coughed awkwardly. "Although, I'm not exactly familiar with love when it's from a female perspective. I mean, I may have been at one point but with my memories sealed, I couldn't say for sure". She looked apologetic. "This isn't helping is it?" Noble Scarlet shook her head a little.

"Sorry but no". Lamb sat quietly for a while and tapped her chin.

"Ok then, let's see if I can think like Master does". She rolled her shoulders, scratching her chin and her scalp at the same time. She wrinkled her brow and humfed to herself. The effect was comical enough to make Noble Scarlet laugh. "Ok" Lamb said at last. "Right then. What happened leading up to the incident?"

"Well," Noble Scarlet said, "Sentaro came over to see Mistress as he sometimes does. He was surprised to see me in my new disguise because he had only seen me in my angel form before now. Anyway, we headed out as we always do, down to the river so that we could ride our bikes. We had ice-cream, we raced and then we realised what time it was and that we needed to head back. Mistress was saying goodbye to Sentaro and I realised that this was something that might be called "romantic" like in those books that Mistress reads".

"Books?"

"Dobon Manga Monthly" said Noble Scarlet. "Mistress collects them. Anyway, they almost always involve a day like that ending with a kiss and I thought that I could help Mistress out because while I know she has feelings for him, she seems to be a bit shy. So I… I pushed her and she kissed him". She looked down. "I did this once before and it got me into trouble because Mistress thinks it will drive him away but I know that he likes it. I can see it in his face. After that, she ran off and I had to go with her. She wouldn't talk to me all of the way home and when we got here, she just exploded at me. She said that she hated me, that she didn't want to see me again". She whimpered and tears ran down her cheeks. "Mistress Lamb, am I a bad angel? What should I do? I try to help but all I do is make her angry!" She continued to weep with her eyes closed and then felt Lamb's warm, strong arms wrap around her and pull her into a gentle embrace.

"No little one" she said, her voice soothing. "You're not bad. It is just a misunderstanding I think". She held the smaller angel and gently rocked her, crooning as she did so and eventually Noble Scarlet stopped crying. "I may not know much little one but I know that my Master has two sisters" She looked up and the older angel smiled at her. "Master's sisters are roughly the same age as your Mistress and they have the same problem with boys. They like them but they don't know what to do with them when they are around. On top of this, Master's brother is overly protective of them and so they have to be careful about getting closer to anyone".

"But what about me? What should I do?"

"Maybe I can help?" came a voice from the door and they turned around to see Jago peeking his head around the arch. Noble Scarlet pulled herself free of Lamb and wiped her eyes.

"You can help? But how?"

"Well first off, I think that there's someone who needs to say something to you". Jago stood aside and Skuld stepped in, looking guilty.

"Mistress?" Noble Scarlet said. Skuld was looking at her feet and she muttered something. Jago cleared his throat.

"Sorry, what was that?" he asked.

"I said I'm sorry" said Skuld. She looked up at Noble Scarlet. "I really am. I didn't mean to go off on one like I did". Noble Scarlet brightened instantly.

"Oh Mistress!" she said and leapt to her feet and hugged Skuld, almost knocking her from her feet.

"Well you two friends again?" asked Damascus as she entered the forge. They both nodded.

"Splendid" said Jago. "But before we do anything else, I would like to make a suggestion".

"What's that?" asked Skuld.

"Well, this may seem odd but I think we could do each other a favour". He walked over to one of the anvils and sat down heavily. "You see, I'm still looking for an apprentice or two and I was wondering if you two would be interested in the job".

"Why would you do that?" asked Skuld.

"Well, two reasons. Firstly, you have some skills with machines and with metal working so it shouldn't be too much of a push for you to become a smith. Secondly, it will teach the pair of you something you both seem to lack: discipline". They cocked their heads at this last bit, unsure what to make of it. "Let me explain" said Jago. "Skuld, you have anger management issues and can be very jealous. Noble Scarlet, you are impulsive and don't seem to think things through. Basically, what you both need is some self-control. Now, I have to get back to work and it's going to get noisy in here for a while so I suggest you leave and then go and think about what I said. You can give me an answer after dinner. Would that be ok?" They nodded and then started to leave but just then Jago's phone rang. He flicked it open.

"Hello? Yes. Yes that's me. Right. Ok. He did what!? Huh. Ok, I'll be right over".

"Who was that?" asked Noble Scarlet.

"That was Bob's teacher. Apparently he's gotten himself in trouble at school". He sighed. "Now I've gotta do a pick up. I don't suppose you two want to come along do you? I could use some support and bringing "girlfriends" to teacher meeting is generally frowned upon" he said, indicating Lamb and Damascus.

"Alright" said Skuld, "But you're going to owe us each a gallon of ice-cream!"

"Sound's fair" he said, spinning his keys around one finger. "Can I trust you two to mind the shop while I'm gone?" he asked his angels. They nodded. "Ok then, let's get going".

*1 For the sake of argument, we shall assume that the perception filter spell also allows angels and devils to be understood by humans


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

**A Rock Too Far**

Jago could barely refrain from laughing during the meeting. Apparently, what had happened was Bob had got himself into a bust-up with a group of the worst bullies in the school. Two broken jaws, a broken nose and five black eyes in return for just one. How Jago, Skuld and Noble Scarlet had managed to remained strait faced through that meeting was a real mystery, especially when the two girls were mistaken for Bob's sisters. However, the discussion on the way back home was far from comical.

"Right" said Jago. "What did those three do that warranted such a beating?"

"They were making fun of me for being a foreigner" said Bob. "That and my hair". Jago nodded and sighed.

"Well, I always said it would cause you problems". He sat in silence for a while and eventually, Skuld spoke up.

"Well at least you did more damage than they did. In fact, I'm impressed that you managed to beat three of them with just a black eye in return". Bob gave her a sheepish grin.

"Thanks" he said. Jago smiled but then returned to being serious.

"Aye, it was good but it still shows me one thing; we still need to work on controlling your temper". Tapped his chin with his free hand and then turned slightly to face Bob. "Basically, what you need is some anger management" he said.

"Anger management?"

"Aye, you need some way of letting off steam without completely losing your top". He paused and scratched his head. "And while we're at it, why don't I teach you how to fight and also, more importantly when and when not to fight. Not proper fighting with blades and shit but rather than just going in with flailing fists and a raging temper, I could get you to the point so that if you do need lamp someone, they will stay down". Bob's face brightened at this and he nodded.

"That sounds like it may work".

"Good" said Jago and Bob was about to say something when he raised a hand to stop him. "However, it won't be easy. Early mornings, lots of exercise, school, coming home to more exercise and possibly helping me in the forge and_ then_ it will be fighting training. You're gonna be bloody knackered by the end of the day but it should hopefully help you get a handle on that anger of yours. Now, does this sound like a fair plan to you?" Bob nodded.

"Ok, I'll give it a try" he said. "To be honest, I'm tired of being so easy to wind up and I'm willing to try anything".

"Alright" said Jago. "I must warn you though; I probably won't be the only one to help train you. I'm going to ask Lind and Mara to help train you. Possibly Chrono too". Bob turned slightly red at this last bit but Jago chose to ignore it. He had heard from Holybell that Bob may be keen on Chrono but he knew better than to push things. After all, he was only a little squirt!

8888

"May the lord protect me and save me" thought Jago, as he took a bite out of the piece of fish. He was surprised, for while it was salty and fairly rubbery, it tasted alright. He was surprised as this was Lind's cooking and from experience, he knew that it was a bad idea to ever let her into the kitchen. Not after that incident with the spaghetti! Lind gave him a hopeful look.

"Well?" she asked.

"It's good" said Jago and with a collective sigh of relief, they all tucked in. Lind had decided that in order to stay on Earth for any length of time, she would need to learn to cook. Unfortunately, that meant that Jago had been designated the taste-tester for any of her experiments before anyone else would eat them. Luckily, it seemed that this one had turned out well. That is to say, it hadn't tried to attack anyone yet and it didn't appear to be poisonous. Lind was positively glowing with pride as they praised her and her cooking as it not often that a Valkyrie was appreciated for her work. It was after dinner that Jago decided that he would make his announcement.

"Ok everyone, I need your attention" he said. "As you may have heard, little Bob here has been getting himself in trouble again. As such, I think that it is about time that I try and sort out his anger management. As such, I would like some of you to help me. Mara, Lind, Chrono, you three are the most capable fighters here and I would appreciate it if you could help me teach him to fight". Lind and Chrono nodded.

"That sounds fair" said Lind but Mara seemed unconvinced.

"Why should I help you?" she asked, folding her arms. "Sure you let me live here but other than that, you've never done anything for me. So why should I help?" Jago grinned.

"Well, I thought it wouldn't hurt for him to learn from the best and who better than a first class demon? On the other hand, if you don't help, I'll be forced to set Damascus on you". Mara balked as she glanced at the devil who gave her an impish grin, baring her fangs.

"Ok, ok, I'll do it!" she said, scurrying backward to hide behind her own devil.

"Splendid!" said Jago and he then turned to Skuld. "Now lass, I believe that you owe me an answer" he said. "Will you take the job?" Belldandy cocked her head.

"What job is this?" she asked.

"Well, Master offered Skuld and Noble Scarlet the opportunity to become his apprentices" said Lamb. "He thought that it might be good experience for them". Belldandy nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea" she said happily, clapping her hands.

"Well Skuld?" Jago asked. "Will you take the job?" Skuld and Noble Scarlet looked at each other. They nodded.

"Ok" said Skuld. "We'll do it".

"But there's a condition" said Noble Scarlet.

"And what might that be?" asked Damascus, making the smaller angel flinch.

"Well…"said Skuld, tapping her fingers together, "There's something that we… that is Noble Scarlet and want to learn at the same time…". She looked sheepish but eventually she summoned up the courage to say it. "We want you to also teach _us_ how to fight!" she said, almost at a shout. Jago and Urd were taken aback and Belldandy gave a little gasp.

"But why Skuld?" she asked. "Why would you want something like that?"

"Well," said Noble Scarlet, "The thing is, my Mistress and I aren't very good at magic and we know that we would never be able to join either the GRO or the EHC (*1) even if we trained forever".

"And so," said Skuld, "We've decided to join the Valkyries". Even the usually unshakeable Lind was surprised by this latest announcement.

"My little sister…. Wants to be a Valkyrie?" said Urd, barely able to believe her ears. "But why?"

"Well, we know that we can't stay on Earth forever" said Skuld, "And we feel that when we get back there, being system administrators or debuggers for all of eternity just wouldn't be fulfilling".

"And so, we thought that becoming a Valkyrie would be the best option". Jago was the first to speak.

"Well I have no problem with it" he said. "In fact, it seems logical. You work for me, learning a skill and developing some strength and discipline and while I don't know about becoming a Valkyrie, I can certainly train you to fight". Lamb nodded.

"I agree with Master. I may not have known you for very long but I think that you are definitely Valkyrie material".

"Thank you" said Skuld, looking pleased.

"But Skuld…" said Belldandy with concern. "Becoming a full Valkyrie is incredibly difficult and dangerous. If you do succeed, you will be a completely different person and we may never see you again".

"Not only that" said Lind, her arms folded, "But the Valkyrie selection process is incredibly vigorous and brutal. Do you remember that cage fight in Crash Palace? Well at the lowest level of selection, you would have to fight like that but against up to twenty other trainees".

"It's true" said Chrono. "They will only take the two strongest from each match and then they will make you fight other trainees until one of you is defeated. And that's just to be accepted! After that, you would be given to a full-fledged Valkyrie to oversee the rest of your training. That's when it gets really tough. One in ten trainees are killed during training and of those that survive; only about a third will ever become full Valkyries".

"Is it really that brutal?" asked Jago.

"Yes" said Lind.

"Wow. I've just developed yet another level of respect for you" he said. "Valkyries are now officially the second toughest fighters in the world".

"Who are the first?" Jago shrugged.

"Ghurkhas". Lind was about to protest but then thought better of it. Ghurkhas were trained almost as hard as Valkyries even though, physically they were only human, which meant that they had to be phenomenally tough.

"Well, I know all this" said Skuld, "And my mind is made up. I want to become a Valkyrie and I am determined to make it, no matter what".

"That's very noble" said Lamb.

"Alright" said Jago. "I don't know about becoming a Valkyrie but I can certainly train you for combat, especially if I have to train Bob as well". He turned to the resident fighters. "Would you be willing to train her as well?" Chrono nodded and Lind sighed.

"I will help" she said, "But only if Belldandy agrees to this. I should also warn you that as I am no longer a Valkyrie, I will be unable to take Skuld as an apprentice". She turned to Belldandy. "Well Bell? What do you say?" Belldandy sat quietly. She looked unsure and a little sad.

"Are you sure Skuld?" she asked. "Do you really want to become a Valkyrie?" Skuld nodded.

"This is something I have to do, Big Sis. I know that you have always been against fighting but this is something that I must do!" Belldandy sighed and nodded.

"Ok Skuld" she said sadly. "If you really feel that this is something you have to do then I will support you". Skuld smiled and hugged her sister.

"Thank you Big Sis!" she said happily.

"Right then" said Jago. "In that case, might I suggest early nights all rounds? Gonna be an early morning tomorrow and we all gonna need a good night's sleep".

8888

The sound of snores emanated from Bob's room. He slept peacefully, with nothing to disturb his dreams. Nothing except Jago's air horn. The noise cut through his dreams and he rocketed out of bed, yelping as he went.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty! Come on, get up! Hands off cocks, on with socks, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!" Jago boomed, loud enough to shake the cobwebs from his mind. "Come on! Lind's expecting you in front of the temple in ten minutes so get dressed and head on out. I suggest a coat for the cold and some running shoes!"

Skuld yawned sleepily as they stood in the yard, in front of the main temple building. She, Noble Scarlet, Bob, Chrono and Heart of Stirling Silver were all standing in the cool morning sun, waiting for Lind to join them.

"So what do we do first?" Bob asked.

"Well" said Chrono, "We usually start with a run and then back in time for breakfast. Or hopefully at least. Take too long and no breakfast. After that, Lind will give us our task for the day and she will expect it done by the time she returns from work. When she gets back, either she or Jago will give us some combat training". She saw Bob's slightly concerned look and smiled.

"Don't worry" she said. "You two will only have light exercises compared to me. As I'm a final year trainee, I'm going to be busy all day while you guys will probably be able to take the afternoon off, once your day's task has been completed". She smiled. "With luck, you'll be working in the forge. I know it's what I occasionally have to do".

"So that's how Jago will have me working then" said Skuld. It was at this time that Lind arrived. She was dressed in a pair of navy blue jogging bottoms, a pair of trainers and a grey tank-top with her name embossed across the middle. Her angels followed her out, dressed in the same way, except without the names. Bob couldn't help but stare, until Lind cocked an eyebrow and he looked down apologetically.

"Right then" she said. "I suggest that we start with some warm up exercises" she said and then led them through a series of stretches to loosen their muscles. After a few minutes, Lind called a halt. "Ok" she said. "Chrono, standard route and procedure" she said and the younger Valkyrie nodded, heading off accompanied by Spear Mint and her own angel. Lind then turned to Bob, Skuld and Noble Scarlet. "Ok you two, here's the plan; each of you will be accompanied by either myself or Cool Mint. We will be running for about three miles and it shouldn't take longer than an hour and a half. You can set your own pace but I must warn you that if you take too long, we _will_ miss breakfast. And I will warn you now: if either Cool Mint or I miss breakfast because of you, there will be some serious repercussions". The glint in her eye told them that she wasn't joking. "Alright then" she said, "Skuld and Noble Scarlet, you are with Cool Mint, Bob is with me". She turned to leave and indicated that they should follow.

Bob ran for about fifteen minutes before he was forced to slow. He paused, panting and look across at Lind who had yet to even work up a sweat. She gave him a look.

"Don't tell me you're winded already?" she asked. Bob shook his head.

"No, I just need to take it a bit slower for now". Lind nodded and they set off again. They ran silently for a while, until Bob became curious. "So Lind, would you mind if I ask you something?" he said.

"Can you talk and run?" she asked. Bob nodded. "Alright then; ask away".

"How did you and my brother meet? I mean, I know you two are sleeping together but how did you two come together?" Lind blushed.

"Well, I used to be a Valkyrie and I was supposed to recover your brother's angel when she was attacked".

"You mean Lamb?"

"Yes, Astrakhan Lamb" she said. "Anyway, I failed, I decided that it would be best if I stayed to ensure that they were coping with one another and unfortunately, it turns out that I can't hold my liquor very well".

"That's fair enough" said Bob. "I'm a bit of a lightweight myself". He paused and they ran on for a while, until he thought of something else. "So, I remember you saying that you are an ex-Valkyrie. What does that make you now? And how do you become an ex-Valkyrie anyway?"

"To answer the second question, it was a combination of two things. Firstly: I failed to recover your brother's Arch and so I lost Heaven a valuable and powerful asset. Secondly: all Valkyries must be virgins and as you and you brother-", she cut herself off.

"You mean that my brother made you lose your job?"

"Yes" said Lind. "However, I don't begrudge him. I had had enough of my life as a Valkyrie and I needed a change of pace anyway".

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was the Captain of the elite first cohort, the special operations and rapid response unit of the Valkyries. Commander Lind". She snorted. "The best of the Valkyries. And now what was I supposed to do? Join the Praetorians and end up like my mother? No chance!"

"What are the Praetorians?" Bob asked.

"The elite security forces of Heaven. My mother is the Captain for their fourth cohort. They never leave Heaven, they rarely fight and they live the most dull, boring lives of any soldiers in all of existence".

"Wow" said Bob. "I can see why you wanted out".

"Exactly. As for your second question, I'm not entirely sure what you would class me as in terms of power. I still technically have a first class licence and while I have had my powers limited, I can still use the same use the kind of power as Belldandy". Bob nodded and they continued running. After a while, he became curious about one more thing.

"I don't know if I should ask this but there is one thing I would like to know".

"What now?" she said, sounding exasperated. "The phone number for the ruler of Hell? Your brother's favourite sexual position?" Bob turned red but shook his head.

"No. It's actually about Chrono" he said. Before he could ask anything, Lind spoke.

"I wouldn't recommend it" said Lind. "She is a final year Valkyrie student and as such, she will have no time for boys. Especially as she would be banned from their ranks if it was discovered that she was no longer a virgin". Bob looked dismayed but Lind gave him a rare smile. "Don't worry" she said. "If you can master your anger then I'm sure you can find yourself a nice woman. Or man, if your tastes run that way".

"No chance!" said Bob. "I'm not gay!"

"You shouldn't be so defensive then. It makes it sound like you are and are trying to hide it". She almost laughed at the look on Bob's face. "I don't know if you know this but there are nearly ten times as many goddesses in Heaven as gods so lesbian relationships are common. We have a very open stance on homosexuality and to be honest, we can't understand why you can't be more open about it on Earth". Bob just nodded and then smiled, blushing.

"Does that mean that you have ever, er… been with another goddess?" Lind snorted.

"No. If I had, I would never have met your brother" she said with some finality. Bob knew better than to continue to ask this powerful ex-Valkyrie questions. He certainty didn't want her displeasure now that they were sharing a house. They ran on in silence for a while until Lind called a halt. By this time, Bob was panting heavily and had worked up a heavy sweat. Lind by comparison looked like the work out had barely affected her. "We've come far enough" she said. "We should rest for a few minutes before we start back". Bob couldn't answer, he just looked at her. She gave him another half-smile. "Don't worry; you've done well for your first time". Bob gave her a weak smile and she gave him a few minutes to recover. At last he was ready and they set of back up the way they had come.

8888

The wind howled, sending blinding waves of snow into the faces of the half-dozen Valkyries as they sped over the high mountains of Jötunnheim. They were a covert strike team; battle hardened warriors on a mission, to recover Bifrost from the Jötunns. They flew in a lose "V" formation, weapons stowed for greater speed and alert to threats.

"Thirty seconds out!" called the leader, Kayrune, glancing over her shoulder. "Get tactical ladies!" The formation dived steeply, heading for the deck to begin a nap-of-the-earth approach to the enemy stronghold. They were ready for this. It was simple; the Jötunns were strong but they had no air-defence so they Valkyries would be able to simply fly to the fortress, land and then it would be a simple task of finding Bifrost and evacuating before they were overwhelmed. Total mission time; less than twenty minutes. Or at least that was the plan. It was then that the scream came. Kayrune looked back around and saw that the rearmost Valkyrie on the left side was missing. "Where's Hava?" she asked. The others shrugged, unsure themselves. Then two more screams sounded, this time to the left. They looked around and the two Valkyries who should have been there were also gone. "Byran? Alalpha?" asked Kayrune and looked back over her shoulder to check on her two remaining comrades. She was just in time to see a pair of dark shapes come crashing down from above and saw them slam into the two remaining Valkyries, bearing them to the ground. She swung around, summoning her trident as she turned to face this new threat. But what was it? The Jötunns had no air force, no way to fly. How were they being attacked from above? Then she spotted the shapes circling above. She summoned her angel and they took a combat stance as four of them detached themselves from the group and began to dive towards her. Whatever they were, they would pay for the death of her comrades. She charged them, her weapon held high but then she balked. It couldn't be but those were-. She never finished that thought as she sensed the attack from behind. She was fast, even for a Valkyrie but even she couldn't match the speed of her assailant. No-body could. She felt the blade bite home. "I'm sorry my Lord. We were betrayed" she whispered and then her attacker released her, allowing her body to plummet to ground far below.

8888

Bob was completely exhausted by the time that he and Lind had returned to the temple. The return journey had been harder and had taken longer because it was all uphill. At least now, they were home. Chrono and Spear Mint were waiting for them on the temple steps when they got there.

"So how did you do?" Chrono asked Bob with a cheerful smile. In return all he could do was pant, his tongue lolling.

"If you must know, he successfully completed his three mile trek without any problems" said Lind.

"Three miles? Was that all it was?" asked Bob, between breaths. Lind nodded.

"Don't worry, for a human of your age three miles in the time you did it is reasonable. If you were training at the same level as Chrono here you would be expected to complete twenty-five miles in the same amount of time". Bob nearly collapsed at the thought of this.

"Twenty five?" he asked. "You really ran twenty-five miles?" he asked Chrono who smiled at him and gave him a nod. "Wow" he said simply, before he doubled over in pants again.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Skuld and Noble Scarlet" said Lind, looking down the road. Before long, she could make out the approaching shapes of the three figures as they came up the road. Cool Mint was the first to arrive and she gave her Mistress a smile.

"Five miles even, Mistress" she said and Lind gave her a nod before turning to the other two. Both Skuld and Noble Scarlet looked like they were about to collapse. They were drenched in sweat, their hair was lank and they were barely able to place one foot in front of the other.

"I'm disappointed in you two" said Lind, folding her arms. "If you even want to be considered for Valkyrie training then you are going to need to be able complete a five mile run without feeling any effects. As it is, you wouldn't even last through the first selection heat". Both Noble Scarlet and Skuld hung their heads, dismayed and for a second Lind felt a little pity for them. However, she then hardened her resolve again. They had asked her to train them and she would do, to at least the bare minimum standard to pass. She turned about and headed towards the temple. "Come on" she said. "We'll be late for breakfast".

After the morning meal, Lind gave them each their morning task. Chrono was to practice her combat spells, while Bob and Skuld were to help Jago in the forge. They made their way to the large building and could see that Jago was preparing for his first job of the day. He smiled when he saw them and waved them over.

"Well, how did it go?" he asked.

"It was exhausting" said Bob.

"I don't think I have ever run that far in my life!" said Skuld. Jago chuckled.

"Well I hope you're not too tired" he said. "Got work to do!" Each of them was given a separate job. Bob was tasked to shovel coal into the furnace while Skuld and Noble Scarlet would each man one of the huge bellows that would supply the fire with air. Jago and Lamb would take it in turns to heat and shape the metal while Damascus worked on the intricate bits; sharpening, polishing, making handles. To begin with, Bob and Skuld's jobs didn't seem too difficult but they soon realised how much effort was needed to maintain this forge at a constant heat, especially after Jago explained that even a minor drop in temperature at any point along a tool or blade before it was ready, would result in a weak point that was liable to fracture if hit with sufficient force. It was several hours before Jago called a rest. They all sat down around the water butt, as Jago mopped his brow with a handkerchief.

"I'm impressed with you three" he said. "You've done well for you first day on the job". Bob, Skuld and Noble Scarlet beamed. The ached but they felt good for what they had done. Jago smiled. "I must warn you though; this is just you first day. It's going to get a lot tougher". They nodded and with that, Jago pulled a small object from the front pocket of his leather apron. "Now who wants a piece of caramel?" he asked, pulling out his knife and cutting the sweet into small pieces. They each took a piece and began to suck them greedily. Being young, Skuld and Noble Scarlet finished theirs far too quickly.

"Are there any more?" they asked. Jago shook his head.

"Sorry, just one a day. It's the rule you see; I can live without the essentials in life provided I have the little luxuries and as such, I have had to ration my caramels".

"You ration your caramels?"

"Oh aye. Can't find them anywhere! Go to any garage in Britain and you will be guaranteed to find three things; caramels, Kit-Kats and pies. Here, what you get is sea-food which has been lightly killed and then put in a bag. So in the end, I have to ration them". After the caramel break, Jago decided that it would be ok for them to stop for the afternoon and so they had some peace until the others returned home. However, when they were back, it was time for the most difficult task of the day; combat training.

Bob was given the best possible opponent for his first session for he would be fighting against Lamb. She may be many times stronger than he was as well as much faster and more experienced but she also had the greatest control over her strength. If it had been Mara or even Lind, he would likely have ended the session with a severe injury but as it was, she went slow and allowed him a fair chance of winning. Skuld and Noble Scarlet however were given a much more difficult task, as they had to fight Mara and her devil, Beautiful Chaos.

Bob staggered backward from the blow to his chest. Lamb gave a concerned look, afraid she had punched too hard but then he was back again, with a frenzy of attacks.

"Good" she said, "but haven't thought this through. You're going to wind yourself without landing many hits". She took a step back and aimed a blow at his stomach. It connected and he feel to one knee, growling with rage. He had never fought someone as good as this and he didn't like the feeling of being beaten! However, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into Lamb's smiling face. "Not bad" she said and helped to his feet. "Now let's try something else" she said. She took a stance a preceded through a series of slow, graceful moves. "You saw what I did right?" she asked. "Well now I want you to copy what I just did". Bob started to do so but she stopped him part way through. "No, like this" she said, showing him what to do. He nodded and he tried again. She gave her approval. "Good but now I want you to do it faster!" He did. "Faster!" He did. "FASTER!" He did. He was panting by the time she let him stop. She gave him an approving smile. "You learn fast",

"Why would you make me do something like that?" he asked.

"You need to learn control. By having you repeat the same set of steps but gradually increasing the speed, it eventually becomes ingrained in you. You can then learn to apply that in combat: when to stop, when to attack, when to block and when to dodge". Bob nodded and they sat on the step, joined shortly by Skuld and Noble Scarlet. Unlike Bob, they were heavily bruised, having received a severe beating but they looked pleased. "How did you do?" asked Lamb. Skuld grinned.

"We were pretty badly beaten but we almost landed some hits".

"So basically, you got your arses handed to you" said Damascus from behind them. They jumped and Lamb gave her a disapproving look.

"That was uncalled-for" she said.

"But true" said Damascus. "If that was the best they have, then they will never become Valkyries". Skuld and Noble Scarlet looked despondent and Lamb and Damascus were staring daggers at one another so Bob decided to break some of the tension.

"So Damascus, why don't you take part in the training? I mean you are supposed to be pretty powerful". Damascus was taken aback but then she snorted.

"Me? Fight? I'm a magic specialist, not a fighter. I have no need to fight".

"But what about if magic doesn't work? What would you do then?"

"Well that is a secret. If I needed to though, I can use combat spells to deadly effect".

"Really? That's pretty cool!" At this point they were interrupted by a series of loud crashes. Across the courtyard, Chrono and Heart of Sterling Silver's training had switched from un-armed fighting against Lind to weapons training with Jago. He was using two weapons; his huge claymore in his right hand and his khukuri in is his left while they fought back with poleaxes. The pair were good, clearly fast and stronger but somehow he was able to constantly dodge their attacks and was in fact forcing them on the defensive. As they watched, the three became a blur of motion, exchanging blows faster than the normal human eye could follow.

"I knew my brother was good but how the hell is he keeping up with her? They must be going a mile a minute!"

"Not quite" said Lind who had come to join them. "But I do agree, he is exceptionally good at fighting. Honestly don't think that there is another human being who could keep up with a Valkyrie in close combat, even one who isn't fully certified. To answer your question, part of his skill has come from Lamb. She has certainly boosted his speed and power and when they are together, they can would be a match for even the best of fighters. Even I struggle against them. But that isn't the entire story, I'm sure. There's something about him that means that no matter how tough an opponent is, he can find a way to beat it". At that moment, there was almighty clatter and Chrono's poleaxe came arching through the air to impale itself in the roof of the temple. Jago stood in front of her, blades raised and held against her throat. They grinned at one another.

"You're better than last time" he said.

"Still can't beat you though" she quipped. He withdrew his weapons and nodded to her.

"Don't worry" he said and he mopped his brow. "You got me sweating this time. Maybe next time you might actually land a hit".

"I hope not" she chuckled. "If you were injured fighting me then Mistress Lind would have both our hides!"

"What was that?" said Lind in a calm voice, having quietly come up behind her.

"AH! Nothing Mistress!" Chrono said, looking guilty and she and her angel gave a respectful bow. Lind simply raised an eyebrow and then signalled for her to retrieve her poleaxe. She then turned to the others.

"We haven't finished yet you know" she said. "It's still an hour till dark and I want each of you to have completed at least one more sparing match before then". There was a collective groan from those involved. Jago though was up with a grin.

"Come on, no time to moan! Lind's the boss!"

"Thank you Jago" she said.

8888

The training continued for several days. Skuld was now beginning to show some promise and quietly, between some of the older temple residents, it was now looking like good odds that she would soon be at a level where an application to the Valkyries would be possible. Bob's was more sporadic than that of the others as he had to be at school during the day. However, he was still required to both fight and work when he got home. Then one day, it was decided to test the two in what at the time, seemed the most obvious way: they would fight one-another. Not good.

In theory, the two should have been fairly evenly matched. Bob was more experienced and was physically stronger, while Skuld would have the support of Noble Scarlet meaning that effectively, Bob would be fighting two people at the same time. However, they had reckoned without Bob's temper.

All of the t temple residents were gathered to watch the match. They were all cheering and offering support to the tri as they stepped up, Bob on the left, Skuld and Noble Scarlet on the right. Lamb took up a position between them and nodded.

"Ok, let's make this a nice clean match" she said. "No eyes, no crotch-shots and no weapons. Lind, Belldandy and Master will judge and referee the match. Points will be awarded to hits scored and also for good dodges or blocks. When it becomes clear that one of you is winning, we will call an end to the match. And please, no permanent damage! Now, are you ready?" she said to Bob. He raised his fists and nodded. "Ready?" Skuld and Noble Scarlet glanced at each-other and then nodded. "Ok and….. FIGHT!"

Skuld attacked first, aiming for Bob's stomach. He side stepped and dodged but was caught in the ribs by Noble Scarlet as she followed her Mistress. He grunted and shrugged off the blow, turning rapidly to attack the angel. His fist connected with her shoulder and he then managed a hard kick to her side. He gasped and staggered back, just in time for Skuld to recover and begin her second attack. She caught Bob a stinging blow to the cheek, followed by rapid series of body shots. However, as he fell back from the first hit, he had the sense to raise his arms and was able to block most of the remaining hits. By now, Noble Scarlet had joined her mistress and together they redoubled their efforts. Bob however was managing to match them blow for blow, able to block almost as many hits as they could throw.

"Who's winning?" Keiichi asked Urd. She looked thoughtfully at him and then at the fighters.

"Hard to say really. He seems to be able to match them with almost every move they make. The thing is, he can only match _most_ of their attacks and doesn't land so many himself so normally I would say Skuld. However, he seems to be making up for this with brute strength. See? Every hit he scores is about as telling as their two or three. Basically it means that this isn't so much a fight as more a war of attrition".

"A war of attrition?"

"Yes. Who can last the longest under constant punishment". Keiichi whistled through his teeth.

"So how long do you think they can last?"

"Not too much longer. They're only small after all".

8888

As it turned out, Urd was wrong and the fight continued for nearly half an hour. By this point, it had turned form a serious fight into more of a slug-fest. In fact, it was becoming so brutal that Belldandy had wanted to end it. Lind and Jago though decided to keep it going just a little longer. If there was no clear winner by then, they would end the match with a draw. It would be for the best, in fact a draw would be the best result as it might encourage some competition between them when they were training usually. Chrono though had spotted something that the others hadn't; Bob was reaching the end of his tether. She had once pushed him over the edge in a fight and now she could see it coming. If a winner wasn't declared soon, then Bob would go completely ape.

8888

Skuld was exhausted. She and her angel were battered and bruised beyond belief. They had known that Jago's brother was a good fighter from the start but they had never thought that he would be able to match them as a pair. He was strong and fast. He had skill. And she could feel their strength fading. It wouldn't be too much longer and they would have to give in. She frantically back peddled, trying to put some distance between him and them. She knew she had just enough energy for one more attack. If only she could find an opening. She kept dodging and mock-attacking, hoping to find a chink in his guard. He came forward, left fist swinging and then she saw it, his lower stomach would be unprotected for a fraction of a second if she could just get inside his reach. A long shot but she had to do it. She stepped in. She swung. She hit.

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Bob's rage was building. No-one had ever made him work so hard to win. Whenever he had fought before, he had either won quickly or had taken his beating but nothing compared to this. It felt like they were taunting him. He didn't understand that they were evenly matched, that they were as tired as he was. They kept backing away, trying to keep out of his range and the fact that they were now always just out of range infuriated him. How could he win! They were mocking him! Teasing him! He had to win! Had to! Skuld stopped retreating for a second and he saw his chance to strike as Noble Scarlet was just out her attack reach and couldn't support her. He had them! He brought his left fist around in a powerful haymaker, scything towards Skuld's cheek. Yes! Yes! Yes! He was going to do it! He had won! Then he felt Skuld's punch connect with his left side. He gasped and the force of the blow spun him half around and forced him to one knee. He heard Jago's voice call out.

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"Match point! Skuld's win!" There was cheering and he heard them congratulating her. How could they? How could she? He should have won! It wasn't fair! If he had just landed that last hit, the win would have been his! A vale of red mist descended and his hearing dimmed. He hissed through his teeth and growled. He would show her! This was his win! He didn't remember picking up the rock. It was in his hand before he knew what was happening. He was up and he turned to them. He would show her!

"BOB! NO!" came Chrono's voice. It cut through his vale of rage like a razor. He realised what he had done and knew he had gone too far. He wished he could take it back but it was too late, the rock was already flying. Belldandy wasn't fast enough to cast a spell. Neither Lamb or Lind, even with their Valkyrie reactions could have caught it and Chrono was too far away. Bob watched in dismay as the stone arched through the air straight for its target. At the last second, Noble Scarlet gave her Mistress a shove and sent the young goddess sprawling. She was less lucky though. The stone struck her on the left temple and a jet of dark red blood shot from her head, turning white as it left the influence of the perception filter spell. The assembled goddess's closed ranks around the angel but Jago was remained routed to the spot. His face had lost its usual grin and all of its colour had drained away.

"You little bastard!" he hissed through his teeth and then he shouted: "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" He crossed the distance to his little brother at an astonishing speed and before Bob could react, he had drawn back his right fist and then thumped Bob so hard in the face, that he felt one of Jago's fingers break. Jago however didn't seem to notice, just landing blow after blow on the smaller man. At last, the beating ended and Jago grabbed the front of Bob's shirt, lifting him to his feet and then suspending him at Jago's eye level. "You little bastard!" he swore. "You had to go and fuck it up didn't you! You had to go and lose it! Now look at what you have done! You have shamed me!" He threw Bob to the floor and he spat. "GET OUT OF HERE! DON'T COME BACK!" he shouted and with tears in his eyes, Bob nodded and set off at a run, bolting past Chrono who tried to stop him.

"No Bob! Come back!" she called but he was gone before she could stop him. She turned to Jago, her eyes imploring. He was busy checking on Noble Scarlet, examining her head and apologising with a grim expression. At last though, she managed to catch his eye. He raised an eyebrow and Chrono nodded. With a grunt, Jago jerked his head in the direction that Bob had gone. She smiled a little and took off after him. She would catch him. She must! She needed to talk to him.

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Several hours had passed since the incident. Noble Scarlet was fine, the small cut she had received having been healed by Belldandy and now only her pride was hurt. Urd and Skuld had wanted to go after Bob, seeking some divine justice but Jago had stopped them. He may have beaten his brother viciously and he may have been disgraced by him but he was still his brother. When Bob got back, he would sort him out himself but until then, he would just let Chrono find him and then go from there. For now though, he had another problem.

"Damnit!" he swore, clapping his free hand to the bloody scratch just below his right sideburn. A single drop ran down his cheek and splashed onto his bare shoulder. Lind poked her head around the doorway to the bathroom, looking concerned.

"Are you ok?"

"Aye" Jago said simply. "Just having problems with my razor". Lind sighed at this. Jago insisted on using an old-fashioned cut-throat razor to shave with. Unfortunately, he was right handed and that meant that when he had broken his finger on Bob's face, he was forced to use his weaker hand to shave. Lind stepped into the bathroom wearing her almost see-through nightdress and took the razor from him.

"Here, let me" she said. Jago nodded and then stood still as she gently ran the blade down the side of his face. "It would be a lot simpler if you had just let Peorth fix your finger like she offered to".

"You know I can't do that" said Jago. "It's not that much of a problem really. It's splinted, it's set, it will heal. Lamb can cover for me in the forge and my left hand is still strong enough to use a hammer".

"But you can't shave yourself" said Lind. Jago snorted. She eventually finished and set the razor down, blade pointing north, like Jago had taught her. "Now are you coming to bed?" she asked him, whispering into his ear. He managed a weak smile.

"Give me a minute" he said. She nodded.

"Don't be too long" she said and turned to leave the bathroom.

"Lind…" he said and she turned back around. "Was I wrong Lind? I thought he was ready but was I wrong? Is it my fault that he did that to Little Red?" Lind walked forward and laid a hand on his shoulder which he reached around and grasped but without turning away from the mirror. "I should have known better than that. I'm his brother! I should have known that he would lose it! Why didn't I realise that I wasn't doing any good? What should I have done? Maybe if I-"but he was cut off when he felt Lind wrap her arms around him and she rested her head on his back.

"Don't beat yourself up. Wasn't it you who once said "What's done is done, there's no going back"?" She tightened her grip a little and gently rubbed her head against him. "Yeah you cocked up. But it's not the end of the world. Noble Scarlet's fine, Chrono will find your brother and tomorrow, we can sort things out. For now though, please just stop worrying. It really doesn't suit you. I thought I was supposed to be the sad/serious one in this relationship". Jago managed a proper smile and he looked down at his goddess's beautiful face, her eyes closed and a half-smile on her lips. He wrapped one of his bear like arms around her and pulled her tight. His goddess? He had never thought of her like that before.

"I thought I was supposed to be the comforting one" he said and ran his free hand through his hair. "I must be getting old". Lind looked up at him, a stand of her powder blue hair falling across her face and she gave him one of her rarest smiles, the ones that were truly warming to this man's tarnished heart.

"How do you think I feel?" she asked him. "Your nineteen, I've lost count of how many years I've been around". Jago snorted.

"Come now my girl, you could pass for twenty" he said, brushing the errant strand from her face. She snorted back.

"Flattery will get you nowhere!" Jago smiled, bent and scooped her up in his arms, causing her to give a little giggle.

"You sure about that?" he said, carrying her into the bedroom. She kissed him gently as he set her down on the bed.

"Well, it's always worth a shot you know" she whispered, playfully.

"Then let's just see where it gets me to then" Jago whispered back.

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Bob had run for hours. His chest burned. He could barely see, with one eye swollen almost shut and the other was caked in blood. In fact his whole face was just one bruised and bloody mess, both from the fight and then from Jago's beating. And still he ran. He had failed! He had disgraced his brother! How could he show his face back there now? After what he had done to poor Noble Scarlet? He was ashamed. His temper had caused his downfall and now he could never face his brother again. And so he ran. It was dark when he reached Nekomi and it was growing cold. What would he do now? He hadn't thought to bring any money or even a coat and now he was alone in a city he didn't know, with a language he didn't understand. Perhaps it would be best if he would just die? Just crawl away and find some hole and never come out. But no, he was too much a coward for that. He wasn't sure what he would do but he knew one thing; he couldn't go back. It started to rain. Just what he needed. He would work out what to do later. For now, what he needed was some shelter.

He sat crouched and shivering under the old road bridge, his cloths and hair soaked through. It was freezing and windy but at least now; he had a chance to dry off. He still didn't know what he was going to do tomorrow though. There was no way he could face his brother, Keiichi or the goddesses after what he had done. His stomach growled and he placed a hand across his belly. He wished he had some food or at least some money to buy some food. But all he had was a few Bulgarian notes which would be next to useless here. And now there was something else. What was it? Someone coming? Yes, defiantly the sound of running footsteps. They were getting closer and Bob's mind was suddenly filled with images of thieves and psycos, the kind who preyed on the lost. Well, this was one person they wouldn't take! He may be disgraced but whoever they were would certainly have to fight if they wanted to steal from him. He pulled his one possession from his pocket, a tiny folding knife that Jago had given to him many years ago. It was old and rusted but the blade still held a keen edge. He was ready. He then saw the figure, silhouetted against the backdrop of the rain. He tensed, ready to strike and then the person called out to him.

"Bob? Is that you?"

"Chrono!" said Bob with relief, stowing his knife. "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you" she said. "After the er… thing at the temple, I was worried you might try something stupid and I thought it would be best if I kept an eye on you". Bob's face fell.

"You shouldn't have" he said. "There's no way I can go back now". They stood in silence for a while until Chrono cleared her throat.

"Well would you mind if I join you under there? It's cold and wet out here". Bob shrugged,

"Why not? It's a free country". He sat back down, with his knees tucked up to his chin and looking at his feet. Chrono sat next to him and took the same position.

"At least it's dry under here" she said. Bob simply nodded. "Cold?" Bob shivered but shook his head. Chrono sighed. "You know, what you did back there was pretty terrible". Bob didn't even glance at her. "But I once did something worse". This time he did look across at her. She yawned and stretched her arms behind her. "I was asked by Peorth to bring an object of great importance to Belldandy, a sphere that contained all of the world's songs. The problem was, this was the first time I had been to Earth and I am incredibly clumsy".

"So what happened?" asked Bob with a bare hint of interest.

"I dropped it" said Chrono. "Or to be more exact, I flew into an electric pylon and was blown out of the sky. If Keiichi hadn't been there to catch me, I would have been in serious trouble". She looked across at Bob. "In fact, I was in trouble anyway because when I dropped the sphere, it shattered and all the songs escaped. In fact, I was in far more trouble than you are".

"How can that be?"

"Well, if those songs weren't sung within a certain length of time then the world would have fallen apart". Bob whistled.

"That bad huh?"

"Yep. Luckily, I had someone there to help me. Two someone's in fact; Keiichi and Belldandy. If it hadn't been for them then I never would have found all of the songs in time. It was because of them that I was able to restore the sphere and now the Earth is how it should be". Bob sighed.

"Chrono".

"I can see what you're trying to do and I thank you but I have to ask you, how can I face my Brother or Skuld and Noble Scarlet for that matter after what I did? I mean, I have never seen my brother more angry than that. It was scary. I was sure that he was going to kill me. And he told me to leave and never come back. How can I show my face there after this?" Chrono nodded.

"I can see your problem" she said. "What you did was pretty awful. I mean, throwing a stone at an unarmed opponent after a match has been officially ended! What kind of person does that?" Bob winced and Chrono grinned apologetically. "Sorry, that wasn't very kind was it?"

"No but it was fair" said Bob.

"Possibly. But I feel that it would be better to go back and face them than to just run forever and be forever branded a coward. At least you can try and apologise to Skuld and Noble Scarlet, try and mend things. If that doesn't work or even if it does but you don't think you can stay then you can always go back to Bulgaria". Bob glanced across at her.

"But what would I tell my mum? What would I say?"

"Just tell her that Jago tried to help but it didn't work. Like I said, it's an option if you want it. However" and she blushed a little, "I would prefer if you stayed". Bob blushed a little too but didn't say anything. For a while they just sat there, listening to the rain. However, their peace was interrupted by the rumblings of Bob's stomach. Bob grinned sheepishly at Chrono's puzzled look.

"Sorry" he said. "Not eaten for a while". Chrono nodded in sympathy and then reached into her pocket.

"Here" she said, offering the sweet to Bob. "But if you dare tell your brother that I've been stealing his caramels then I'll give you such a pinch!" Bob was about to take the sweet but stopped just short.

"I'm sorry, I can't take this" he said.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's yours and you have to be at least as hungry as I am". Chrono sighed and grabbed his wrist. Before he could react, she had shoved the sweet into his palm and then forced his hand closed so he couldn't let it go.

"Eat it you stupid fool!" she said. They glared at one another for a while until Bob finally nodded.

"Ok. One condition though" he said and he pulled out his little knife. "You have to eat half of it".

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Bob slept quietly, his head resting against Chrono's shoulder. She sat quietly, running her fingers through his hair.

"What a pain he is" she thought. "Still, I think I can see in him what Mistress Lind must see in Jago. He just needs to learn some control". At least she knew that he was safe now. She barely registered the arrival of Heart of Stirling Silver as the angel came in out of the rain. She shook out her wings, having forgone camouflage in favour of the speed they provided. She smiled at her Mistress.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He's fine" said Chrono. "Sad, hungry, tired more than anything. He wasn't sure he would be able to face coming back but I think I have convinced him otherwise. How's Noble Scarlet?"

"She's fine. Just a scratch. Belldandy took care of it in no time". Chrono nodded.

"Good, good". She spotted the thing that her angel was carrying. "What's that?" she asked.

"It's a wax-cotton jacket" said Heart of Stirling Silver, holding it out to her. "Master Jago thought that he might need it". Chrono nodded and took the jacket and wrapped around herself and Bob. It stank of paraffin wax but at least it was warm and dry.

"Tell Jago I said thank you" she said. "We should be back by morning". The angel nodded and departed, leaving the two alone. Chrono sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a trial.

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Lind woke early the next morning. She sat up and stretched, allowing her muscles to release their night's tension. She glanced across at her two angels who were sleeping quietly and smiled to herself. Then she looked across at Jago. She screamed.

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Urd sighed as she listened to Bob's heartfelt apology. She could tell he was truly sorry. He was on his knees in front of the temple goddesses, tears streaming down his face. As the eldest of the temple dwellers, it had been decided that it was her call on whether he could stay. She glanced around at assembled group. One-by-one, they slowly nodded. Even Skuld and Noble Scarlet agreed.

"Alright" said Urd at last. "You are free to stay by our account". Bob's face brightened.

"However" said Peorth, raising a hand, "If there are any more incidents like that then you are banished from her forever!" Bob grinned and bowed.

"Thank you!" he said smiling.

"Now that that's settled" said Belldandy, "How about some breakfast?" They all nodded and started to file into the tea room. It was while breakfast was just being served that the door was thrown. Lind stepped through the door in he nearly see-through night dress and quickly looked around.

"Belldandy! Come quick!" she said.

"Lind? Why? What is-"

"It's Jago!" said Lind. "He's sick!"

*1 The Goddess Relief Office and the Earth Help Centre


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Quinine**

It resembled nothing more than an extremely bad flu. Lind sat beside Jago as he lay in bed, sweat dripping down his face. He was shivering but his face was flushed red and he was running a high fever, so hot that it hurt to touch him. Occasionally, he would give a groan as his stomach burned. Only one thing set this apart from any normal flu; his angels. Lamb's usual heavenly glow had grown dull and her skin was grey and lifeless. Her wings, usually larger and more graceful than those of any of the other angels were scabby and in places, were completely bald with specks of white blood leaking from the pores. Worst of all though, huge dark blue crystals grew from her skin like some obscene geometric virus, occasionally shattering on their accord only to grow back within seconds as a series of smaller crystals. Damascus wasn't much better, with wings also bleeding and her skin also lifeless and showing the beginnings of crystal growth. She was in obvious pain but unlike Lamb and Jago, she still had the power of speech and could still stand to have herself touched. Belldandy, Urd and Peorth were clustered around the trio, all performing separate scans to try and discover the cause of the illness. At last, Belldandy stopped.

"It's strange" she said. "I can't detect any actual signs of disease. That is, apart from the obvious symptoms" she said, gesturing towards them.

"But how can that be?" asked Lind, her face a knot of concern. "There must be something!"

"It's true" said Peorth. "If this was any normal human illness then it shouldn't affect his angels which it must either be Heaven or Hell based but it doesn't appear to have a magical signature".

"Well you can fix it, can't you?" asked Damascus through gritted teeth.

"Not unless we can determine what the cause is" said Urd.

"But you must have some potion or spell that can fix this! Some elixir or health booster?" Lind said to her. Urd shook her head sadly.

"If I tried anything without knowing exactly what the problem was then I would probably end up causing more harm than good". Lind turned accusingly to Peorth and Belldandy.

"What about you two then!?" she shouted, thumping a hand down so hard on the bedside table that it shattered. "Are you two first class goddesses or not? How can you not be able to help him?!" The pair hung their heads sadly, indicating their usefulness. It was then that there was a knock at the door. Lind turned furiously to it and saw Saga poking her head around the frame. "WHAT?" shouted Lind.

"Um, there's someone here" she said meekly.

"If it's a visitor then send them away! We don't have time for guests, not now!"

"Well she said that you would want to talk to her. She said she might be able to help". Lind's eye's narrowed.

"Who she?"

"Well, maybe you should come outside. It would make things easier" said Saga and she ducked back out of the room. Lind turned angrily to the remaining goddesses.

"I want you to find out exactly what is wrong with him and I want it found by the time I get back from dealing with this guest!" she said, storming out of the room. Urd sighed.

"Is it just me or is Lind suddenly VERY scary?" Peorth nodded.

"I'm sure that it's just concern for Mister Jago" said Belldandy.

"I'm not so sure" said Peorth. "I think Urd is right, she's been acting a bit off recently. Plus, I still don't think she's realised that she's still in her nightdress". She shrugged. "Anyway, let's do one more scan. At least then, there's a chance that Lind won't skin us alive when she gets back".

"You should be so lucky" said Damascus.

Lind pushed open the front door to Jago's cottage, glancing around at those who had been prevented from entering. She folded her arms her chest.

"Well? Where's this guest?" Keiichi tapped her on the shoulder and pointed upward.

"She's up there" he said and then backed away quickly. Lind looked up and saw the person who was, at least on her list, the second least welcome person at the temple. The least welcome at this point would have been that bastard, Lord Deaderuss. This left just one other person; Hild. Or rather mini-Hild. She waved down at Lind from her position about ten feet in the air.

"Well hello Lin-" she began but before she could finish, Lind had shot upward, catching the ruler of Hell by the throat and catapulting the pair of them high into the sky.

"YOU BITCH!" shrieked Lind as they shot upwards, almost to the edge of the stratosphere. With explosive force, she tossed Hild high into the air and then brought both hands down hard on the demons back, sending her shooting back down towards the Earth. For all her power, Hild wasn't prepared for such a furious assault and she slammed into the ground at speeds that would have shamed the fastest of fighter jets.

"Ow" she said and started to pull herself free of the crater she had created on impact. She had just managed to pull herself to her feet when Lind came crashing down, driving the pair even deeper into the ground. She started pounding on the devil, screaming as she did so.

"YOU BITCH! YOU BITCH! YOU BITCH!" she screamed, each impact pounding Hild a foot deeper into the ground. "HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM? HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL? YOU BITCH!". Her eyes were glowing gold as she released her full power, punishing her opponent with the most powerful series of blows ever seen. At last though, she began to slow, tears streaming down her face. "You bitch" Lind swore, standing and summoning her poleaxe. "You did this to Jago! Now, I will kill you!" She swung. With a sigh, Hild simply reached out and caught Lind's swing between her thumb and index finger.

"Are you quite finished?" she asked. With a shove, she pushed the powerful ex-Valkyrie back and pulled herself from the ground, dusting herself off. "For your information, I didn't make Jago sick. The only reason I'm here is because I promised to check in on the Arch's after a month but it's been so busy with the complete system collapse in both Heaven and Hell that I simply haven't had chance. When I finally got here, I heard that Jago was ill and I decided to offer my services".

"YOU LIE! THIS IS YOUR DOING!" shouted Lind and she swung her axe hard but Hild blocked with her left wrist.

"Are we back to this already?" asked Hild. Before Lind could take another swing, her angels, Spear Mint and Cool Mint were beside her, gripping her arms forcefully.

"Please Mistress!" said Spearmint.

"Perhaps she is telling the truth?" said Cool Mint. "You were there when she made that promise to come and visit and what she says does make sense". Lind turned angrily to Cool Mint.

"How could you side with her? After what she did to Jago?"

"There is no evidence that she did this to Jago" said Spear Mint.

"She says she came to offer her services and if nothing else, she may be able to find the source of Jago's illness". Hild smiled.

"It would seem that your angels are on my side" said Hild, looking snide. Lind sighed.

"Will you promise not to harm Jago, his angels or any of the others here?" Hild nodded and Lind sighed again. "Very well then, but" and she raised her poleaxe, "any funny business and Daimankaichō or not, I will cut you down to size!" Hild smiled.

"That sounds fair. But first" and she pointed upwards, "we had better get out of this hole".

Hild had been uncomfortable with entering Jago's cottage. The horseshoe that was powerful old magic and even the head of all demons was strongly repelled. However, she did finally enter and it wasn't long before she was able to discover the source of Jago's illness.

"It's a bug" she said simply.

"A bug? You mean a system bug?" asked Belldandy.

"Exactly. It appears that it somehow managed to make its way inside of Jago via Astrakhan Lamb and from there it has begun to poison their collective bodies. But it's odd" she said, her childlike brow creased with the worry of a woman many times her apparent age. "It appears that the bug has combined with an existing illness, something that has been there for a while. It was no wonder that you didn't find anything, the illness hides the bug and the bug camouflages the presence of the disease".

"So it was a good thing you turned up after all" said Urd, grudgingly. Hild snorted.

"If I hadn't shown up he would be dead in a week! Whatever this disease is, it is extremely potent for a human infection, even without that bug there. Now though, unless we can find a cure for him, I would give him a one in ten chance of living". Belldandy gasped.

"What can we do?" she asked.

"Can't you simply find the disease and remove it?" asked Lind. "I mean, you are the Daimankaichō. You should be able to do anything!" Hild flicked a finger in annoyance.

"Technically yes but even my powers have their limits. This bug seems to have been specifically manufactured to prevent me from discover what that disease is and therefore from providing effective treatment".

"Well maybe I can help?" came a voice from the door. Bob had entered, followed by Chrono and Heart of Stirling Silver. Hild drifted over to him.

"Oh? And who is this then?" Hild asked, leaning closer to Bob, to get a good look at his face.

"That" Chrono said, stepping in front of Bob and blocking him from Hild's view, "is Jago's little brother, Bob". Hild nodded.

"I see. They have the same eyes". Chrono had impressed her. There weren't many who could stand in front of her for the first time and at least hide their fear. In fact, she could clearly see from Chrono's aura that she was almost wetting her pants, she was so scared but she had to give her credit for hiding it. "I assume that he is under your protection then?" Hild asked. Chrono was a little taken aback. As she wasn't a full Valkyrie yet, she wasn't technically allowed to extend Heaven's protection to anyone but she nodded her head.

"Yes". Hild smiled and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lind give a disapproving look but nod to Chrono.

"Well in that case, let's hear what you have to say then". Bob cleared his throat.

"Well it's simple. You say this disease has been there for a while? Well in that case he has probably been keeping it hidden with medicine right?"

"So?" asked Urd.

"Well, did anyone think to check the medicine cabinet for anything unusual?" Before he had fully finished, Belldandy had already raced into the bathroom and quickly returned with an assortment of pills and vials. Jago cracked an eye to see what was going on.

"Let's see" said Urd, checking each in turn. "Cough syrup. Paracetamol. Aspirin. Viagra?" she asked, holding the unopened packet. Jago gave a weak smile.

"Master says it's in case he ever needs to treat altitude sickness" said Damascus.

"Yeah, suuuure!" said Peorth and then she picked up another bottle. "Hello, what's this?" she asked, holding it close to her face to read it. "What the hell is quinine?" Bob snatched it from her and popped the lid. The bottle was almost empty, just a few tablets remaining. He turned to Damascus.

"Is this what he has been taking?" he asked. Damascus nodded. Bob sighed. "Well, at least now we know what it is he has".

"And what's that?" asked Urd.

"Well, quinine is used to treat malaria".

"Malaria!"

"Yep. I suppose it makes sense" Bob said. "He was in Africa last year as part of his course. I can only assume that he caught it out their". Hild took the vial.

"And so he's been keeping it supressed with this shit?" she asked and whistled through her teeth. "He's tougher than I thought. This isn't the best anti-malarial in the world and even with the good drugs, it never really goes away so if he hasn't shown any symptoms up till now then he must either be phenomenally tough or phenomenally lucky".

"You mean" said Lind, "that he has been suffering from possibly the biggest single killer of humans in this entire world since before I met him and even though we could have fixed it, he's been keeping it hidden with sub-standard medicine?(*1)" She turned to Jago who winked at her. She shook her head. "Jago, I don't know whether to hit you or hug you".

"He says to hug him now and then hit him after he's cured" said Damascus. Lind smiled and then turned back to Hild.

"So, now that we know what the problem is, can you fix him?" Hild scratched her head and thought.

"Let's discus it in the other room" she said. "Everybody except Lind and her angels. They had better stay here and keep an eye on him". Lind nodded and sat back down on her chair beside the bed, gently taking Jago's hand in hers.

"Don't worry" she said. "We'll have you better in no time". She reached out gently with her mind, trying to comfort him but they both knew that the reason that everyone had been taken into the other room was that if there was a cure, it would be so insanely difficult to collect that Jago was pretty much screwed. Still, Lind let her mind meld with his and they sat quietly, sharing their thoughts. This might be their last chance. They sat together and simply let their minds meld. Next to share everything they had ever experienced. An ultimate sharing of affection. Love. Lind felt him smile.

"You know you're still wearing that nightdress? The see-through one?" he sent to hervia his mind. Smiled a little and almost broke down in tears.

"Eye's front soldier" she sent back and he smiled. She stood and gave him a pained smile, withdrawing he mind from his. "I'll be back soon" she said. "Spear Mint will keep watch". He smiled weakly, eyes closed. Lind closed the door behind her and leaned heavily against it. She glanced around, checking that no-one could see her. And then she wept, long and hard. She felt Cool Mint's hand on her shoulder and she turned to her second angel, hugging her tightly.

"Cool Mint" she sent via the mental link between angel and Master, "I'm scared and I have never felt fear like this before. I don't want to lose him! I-I-I love-"but she stopped when she felt her angel's gentle embrace.

"I know Mistress. Spear Mint and I love him too".

"Well?" asked Bob. "Can you fix my brother or not?" Hild shrugged.

"This is a pretty serious illness, even without the bug complication. If I tried to just magic it away, it would kill him for sure".

"That isn't what I asked" said Bob. "I asked, can you fix it?" Hild closed one eye in annoyance.

"As this is our first meeting I will let you off without turning you into something horrible. Just remember that even though this body may look like a ten year old girl, I am actually the ruler of all of Hell and all of the demons thereof. So in other words, show a little respect. But to answer your question, yes I can fix it". Every face brightened until her next statement. "However, there is a problem. In order to do this, I would need to concoct a particularly potent potion to separate the bug from the malaria parasites and to do that, I would need some pretty serious ingredients".

"What kind of ingredients?" asked Urd. "I should have just about anything you could need for potion making". Hild snorted at her daughter.

"This may be true but you are probably missing one thing: quinine bark". Bob cocked his head.

"What? Why don't you just use those pills he's been using?"

"I need a rare kind of magically infused quinine" said Hild. "The problem with that processed stuff is it just wouldn't be strong enough to shift such a stubborn illness".

"So what are you saying?" asked Urd.

"I'm saying, if you want me to save him, you are going to have to go and collect some".

"And where would we find this rare stuff?" asked Eir. Hild snorted.

"The Amazon basin".

"WHAT!" was the collective shout.

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"It is extraordinary" said Bob, swinging Jago's khukuri overhand to slice a path through the thick underbrush. "There is nothing of interest in this jungle! There are no lions, no elephants, no kangaroos, no honey-badgers, nothing! It's all just insects designed to make you have a debilitating, agonising death!"

"Oh, stop moaning!" said Eir.

"Yeah, you're the one who insisted that you come along!" said Saga.

"Leave him alone" said Chrono. "He came along because he cares for his brother! I can think of no better reason for him to be here!" It was true. Bob had insisted that he help find the gold-leaf quinine tree. It had taken some persuasion but they had finally agreed to take him.

The expedition consisted of Bob, Chrono, Eir, Saga, Urd, Peorth, Skuld, their respective angels and to the surprise of the goddesses, Tamiya and Otaki. The reason for this was simple; broomsticks were a goddess's transport of choice to an area that they were unfamiliar with but they were fairly slow and lacked a carrying capacity and this would be a problem because they had to have the quinine bark back within twenty-four hours or it would be useless.

"I would collect it myself" said Hild, "but at the rate it's going, Jago will be too far gone to save in just a few hours. I'm going to have to stay here and try to hold back the progression of the disease while someone else collects the bark". She looked around the room. "Urd, you should go. You can prepare the potion while you're out there and have it ready for when you get back. Peorth, you're good with plants so you should go too. Eir and Saga, you go too. They are going to need you to actually collect the bark plus we may need fighters if the tree is defended".

"I'm going too!" said Bob with some finality. "There's no way I'm not helping here!".

"And if Bob goes, I go too!" said Chrono. Hild nodded.

"That seems fair" she said.

"Wait! I'm going too!" said Skuld, pushing forward.

"I'm sorry but I don't think so" said Hild. "You have no skills whatsoever that would be of any use".

"Oh yeah! What about Bob? He has no skills!"

"Wrong" said Bob. "Believe it or not but I'm a navigator. I can get us there, so long as I have a map". He turned to Hild. "There is a map right?" Hild nodded and conjured one and handed it to him.

"Will that be all?" she asked.

"Well there is one thing" said Belldandy. "You said the bark has to be made into a potion within twenty-four hours. Well, there's no way we can get it back here in time to make a potion and if we make a potion while we're out there, we won't be able to get it back in time before Jago is too far gone to save". Hild nodded.

"You have a point" she said, tapping the side of her head. "Getting there and back will be a problem".

"Maybe not" said Spear Mint. "Jago said he could hear everything you said and he thinks that if you take his plane then you should be able to collect the bark and then brew a potion during the flight back". Bob looked astonished.

"My brother has a plane?"

"Yes, he used it to get here. It said it was a C-130J, whatever that is". Bob nodded.

"That might work" he said. "It's certainly fast enough and it has the range to make the trip". But then he paused. "But we have no pilot". Keiichi then stepped in.

"Well maybe we do". He turned to Belldandy. "Do you think some of the Autoclub guys would be able to fly a plane?" Belldandy smiled and nodded.

"Yes! They can use any machine!"

"Alright then" said Hild. "Keiichi, contact these friends from the Autoclub. Tell them we need a pilot. Belldandy, if you would come with me, I need to begin a strength boosting spell so that we can keep Jago alive until they get back and I could really use you help". Belldandy nodded and followed her back into the bedroom. The rest of the group departed in order to collect the things that they would need for their expedition so they could be loaded into the back of Jago's truck. The exceptions were Bob and Chrono who were ready to go as they were. Chrono gave Bob a smile.

"It'll be ok" she said. "I'm sure we can save your brother". Bob nodded but looked glum.

"I just hope that when I get back, he will be able to forgive me for attacking Noble Scarlet like that".

"He already has" came a voice. The pair turned to see Cool Mint emerge from the bedroom. "He says that made and he blames himself. However, he plans to make sure that you complete your training properly when he's well again so he said to look out!" Bob smiled and then the blue-eyed angel pulled something from her wrap. "He also asked me to give you this" she said and handed it to Bob whose eyes widened.

"But this is-"

"Your brother's khukuri, yes. He says that you may need it more than he does right now". Bob nodded, dumbfounded and grasped the horn hilt of the weapon, pulling it free. Ten inches of heavy, hardened, leaf-shaped steel, perfect for either cutting or stabbing. Bob sheathed it gently.

"Tell my brother thank you" he said. Cool Mint smiled and then she leaned forward and kissed his gently on the cheek, causing Chrono to blush and look away.

"And that was form my Mistress" said Cool Mint with a smile. "She says; don't cock it up this time".

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"Well sure we can fly a plane" said Tamiya as he sat in front of the construction site that they were working at. Otaki nodded from beside him.

"The question is though, why do you need to get to South America so badly? And why do you need us? Why not just pay for tickets and go first-class or something?" Keiichi sighed.

"Look, we don't have time for this. A friend of ours is in trouble and there is something that can fix it but it can only be found in South America".

"Near Manaus to be exact" said Bob, checking his map. Tamiya nodded.

"I see" he said. "We would help but it seems like a lot of effort. What would we get out of this?" Urd strode between Keiichi and Bob, grinding her teeth in frustration.

"Now look you two!" she said. "Either you help us or I'll be forced to kick your fat arses all over this city until you agree to do so!" The two giants cringed back slightly but Belldandy laid a hand on her older sister's shoulder.

"Please Urd" she said and she turned to the two men. "Please help. Please?" she said, pulling an incredibly cute face as she did do. The two looked at one another and sighed.

"Alright" said Tamiya, "but you guys owe us one!"

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The flight in Jago's C-130 Hercules had taken several hours. Tamiya and Otaki piloted the huge aircraft which had been fitted with a fuel bladder and under-wing drop tanks so that it wouldn't have to refuel on the trip back. Those inside each prepared in their own way. Damascus had managed to pull together enough magic to create a camouflage spell and so the angels had been allowed on-board without hassle. Urd and World of Elegance were busy converting the cargo hold into a lab in order to manufacture the potion after the quinine had been collected. Peorth and Gorgeous Rose were busy reading, trying to relax as best they could. Eir, Saga and their angels were sleeping, using earplugs to block out the drone of the big plane's engines. Chrono, Heart of Stirling Silver and Bob were sat together, pouring over the map.

"Looks like the best route is if we land at Manaus, here" he said, jabbing the spot on the map with his finger. "From there, if we head North/North-West following the river for about fifteen miles and then unload here", pointing to another spot on the map, "then with a few hours of walking, we should be at one of the trees. We collect the bark, get back here, brew in flight and be back by tomorrow. Total time; about twenty hours". Chrono cocked her head.

"How long does Jago have?" Bob gave her a grim look.

"That's the problem. He's only got about twenty-two hours before the disease becomes unstoppable. Any real delays and we won't make it back in time". He shook his head. "I don't know if we can do this. I mean, what if we get there and the tree is gone? Or what about if we can't find a boat? There's no way we can make it if we have to walk all the way. Or what if-", but Heart of Stirling Silver held up a hand.

"This is no time for doubt!" she said. "If you don't think you can do this then why did you come along in the first place?" At this Bob snorted.

"Well, partly it's because I was worried that you might be asked to navigate and my brother told me what you're like with maps". At this point though, they heard a sneeze. All available heads turned towards the source of the noise.

"Noble Scarlet!" they heard a voice hiss.

"I can't help it Mistress!" came another whisper.

"Just keep quiet or they'll hear us!" Urd sighed and called out to them.

"Alright, we can hear you, you know. Come on out you two" she said.

"Oops" they heard Skuld say and the two emerged sheepishly from behind the huge fuel bladder that occupied the centre of the cargo hold.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Urd.

"Well…." said Skuld, looking at her feet.

"We wanted to help!" said Noble Scarlet defensively. "Jago is just as much our friend as the rest of you, so why shouldn't we help?"

"Don't you know anything?" said Peorth, looking exasperated. "This isn't some bike ride through the park you know! It's incredibly dangerous!"

"She's right you know" said Bob, holding up the map and pointing to the spot where the tree was. "I mean, have you seen how many skulls there are?" A quick glance at the map revealed that there were LOT of skulls around the tree. Skuld shrugged.

"That may be so but there's still no way that I'm not coming!" she said, looking defiant. Peorth and Urd turned to Bob.

"I guess it's your call" said Urd. "Should they be allowed to come or not?" Bob gave her a look like she had just grown another head.

"Are you mad? Since when am I in charge? I mean, she's your sister!" Urd nodded.

"Yes but this is a mission to save your brother. So what do you say? Can she help?" Bob turned to Skuld, looking uncertain. Skuld raised an eyebrow.

"Come on Bob. You owe me this one". Bob sighed and nodded.

"Alright Skuld, you're in". Skuld and Noble Scarlet smiled and high-fived one another. Peorth sighed, looking doubtful while Urd and Chrono impassive. Pretty soon, they returned to their preparations. Eir and Saga were still asleep and would probably be surprised when they realised that Skuld was here. The girl in question had gotten into an argument with Peorth over the issue if Dobon that the older goddess had stolen, setting everyone's teeth on edge until Urd had told them to both shut it so she could finish her work. Chrono had at this point summoned her halberd and was in the process of sharpening the heavy blade. Bob decided it would be best if he did the same and pulled his brother's khukuri free from its heavy sheath. He gripped the rear of the blade between his knees, then pulled the pair of smaller knives that accompanied it free from the sheath and started running them along the edge of the weapon, keening it to a fine edge. Time passed. Boredom set in. And then a message from the cockpit.

"We're on final approach" said Tamiya over the plane's intercom. "Take your seats and buckle in. We've just been warned that it may be a rough flight in". Bob saw Chrono visibly gulp.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Just a bit nervous."

"Don't worry; no plane has ever been brought down by turbulence". He scratched his chin. "Although, maybe you should perform the pre-bailout checklist".

"The what?"

"The pre-bailout checklist" Bob said with a grin. "It's very simple; just three steps. Spread legs, bend over…"

"Yes?"

"And kiss your arse goodbye!"

"Not cool" said Chrono but she was grinning when she said it.

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The arrival into Manaus was indeed very bumpy but it was over quickly. It was decided that they would be split into two groups. Urd would stay with the plane to prepare the bulk of the potion, along with Tamiya and Otaki who would need to perform some after-flight checks and minor maintenance before they could fly again. The others, plus World of Elegance wold head into town and attempt to batter passage on a boat that would take them as close to the tree as possible. Finding a boat that would take them wasn't a problem, it was being able to pay for it that was the problem. Peorth and World of Elegance were currently in heated discussion with the owner of a large motor launch, it a language that was a combination of Portuguese and local words. The man shook his head and jabbered something, poking a finger at them. Peorth shook her head and said something back.

"What they saying?" whispered Bob to Saga.

"Not sure" she said.

"We're only trainees" said Eir. "We haven't yet completed our Earth languages course and so we have yet to complete our ribeirinho".

"What they are saying" said Chrono, "is that since the local Real is running at such a high rate of inflation, the money we have isn't going to be enough to carry us both there and back".

"What is the rate of inflation?" asked Bob.

"About four-hundred per cent per hour". Bob whistled through his teeth.

"That is a lot" he said. It was then that they saw the boat-owner jabbed a finger at World of Elegance with a great leer upon his face. She stiffened and swore back at the man, clearly furious. "Well that needed no translation" said Bob. The boat-owner continued to leer and jabbed again but by this point World of Elegance had had enough. She turned away and Peorth reluctantly followed her.

By the third boat, Bob had become frustrated. By the sixth, he was angry. Now, they were on the fourteenth and he felt like he was going to explode. A vain in his eyebrow was twitching. He was grinding his teeth. When he saw the older goddesses turn away, he finally snapped.

"What's taking so long?" he shouted. "We haven't got time for this!" World of Elegance nodded apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I should have considered this difficulty before we set out" she said. Bob sighed.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to blow my top like that. It's just…"

"I understand" she said. "You're worried about your brother". Bob nodded but then Saga stepped forward.

"I'm sorry to interrupt" she said, "but did anyone see where Peorth and "Rosy" went?" They looked around and realised that it was true, the two had gone missing.

"Oh great, now where are they?" Bob asked. "For a first class goddess, she sure is irresponsible. I mean wandering off at a time like this!" He sighed again. "Right, Ella, Skuld, Little Red, Saga and Cuprum, see if you can find her. Chrono, Eir, Argentum and I are going to check the market. We should be able to find a boat there or at least something to eat along the way".

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"Now, there's no way I'm eating that!" Eir's angle Silver Beech as Bob held the strange looking catfish up by two fingers hooked between its rubbery lips. He had to admit, she had a point. The fish was not exactly appetizing to look at. Nearly a foot-and-half long, with long whiskers protruding from the side of its face, it's back was lined with razor sharp, inch long recurved spines; it was a fish that live on algae and other plant matter from the riverbed. In fact, it looked for all the world like one of the monsters that used to be drawn on the corners of old maps, to make the sea look more interesting than a living thing. But was a living thing. In fact it was still alive! The fish gave a massive flick of its tail and it's back sliced down the length of Bob's hand, causing him to drop the fish with a yelp.

"Are you alright?" asked Chrono, looking concerned. Bob nodded, sucking on his palm.

"Aye" he finally said. "I should have  
remembered that they tend to sell their catfish while they are still alive".

"But why would they do that?" asked Copper Beech.

"Well Argentum" he said to the angel, calling her by her human name, "I'm not entirely sure but my brother said it was something to do with the humidity. If they kill the fish then it goes off within hours but catfish can survive for days out of water so if they keep it alive and can't sell it today then they may be able to sell it tomorrow".

"That's horrible!"

"That's life in the Amazon" said Bob. He picked up another fish, turning it towards himself. It resembled a proper fish but its mouth was filled with large, razor sharp teeth. "How about some piranha?" he asked. "Supposed to be good if it's fried or cooked whole".

"Alright, piranha it is" said Chrono. Bob nodded and picked out three or four of the fish, paying the fish monger with his meagre handful of Reals. They wrapped the fish in paper and put them in a bag, alongside the red bananas they had bought earlier.

"Well, we have food for the trip but still no boat" said Eir.

"True" said Chrono and she sighed. "I can't help but wonder where Peorth and Rosy went though. It's been nearly an hour and we haven't seen hide nor hair of them".

"Right here" they heard someone call out. They turned and saw Peorth and the others making their way across the market towards them.

"Where the Hell have you been?" Bob asked her. Peorth shrugged.

"That's not important. What matters is that I found us a boat but we had better hurry if we are to make it before it leaves" she turned and led them back towards the docks. Upon arrival, she directed them to a battered looking motor launch that was busy being refuelled by a loudly swearing ribeirinho. Peorth called out to the man and he glanced up, nodded and gestured for them to board the craft. It wobbled alarmingly as they clambered aboard. Bob muttered something incomprehensible and turned to Peorth.

"Where the Hell did you find this FUBAR thing? Even on our budget, we should have been able to find something that could at least float!" Peorth snorted.

"Don't moan" she said. "At least we have a boat and it didn't actually cost us a penny". Chrono cocked her head.

"Then how the did you pay for it?"

"That I can't I won't tell. Let's just say that Jago now owes me big-time".

"Skank!" World of Elegance said, hiding it behind a cough.

"What was that?"

"Nothing". She cleared her throat. "Hadn't you better tell the captain that we can leave now?" Peorth nodded and said something to the man. He nodded and with a drone and a puff of two-stroke smoke, the boat was underway. Just as they left the port of Manaus, Peorth leaned over to Bob.

"I was series you know. Your brother really does owe me one". Bob nodded.

"I think he owes us all now". She smiled.

"I guess you're right. Just out of interest, what exactly does FUBAR mean anyway?"

"Oh that? It means Fucked Up Beyond All Repair". Peorth looked around the almost sinking boat.

"Ok, I'll give you points for that one" she said.

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The boat had been beached roughly fifteen miles from Manaus and they had disembarked, having told the boat-man to wait. He had simply grunted and all they could do was hope he was still there when they got back. So now, there they were, in the middle of the rainforest. Bugs, vines, thorns, the lot. At first, going had been easy but after just a couple of miles, the jungle had become so thick that Bob, Eir and Saga were forced to hack their way through the thick foliage with a combination of Jago's khukuri and Eir and Saga's scimitars. It was while hacking through a vine as thick as his arm that Bob began his rant about killer creepy crawlies. He stepped forward and took another swipe at the low hanging vines, gabbing one to pull himself forward. However, then it hissed.

"AH! A SANKE!" he shouted and tossed the hissing reptile aside. Gorgeous Rose caught the animal before it could hit her in the face.

"Watch it!" she said. "I may be an angel but that doesn't mean you can throw snakes at me!"

"Sorry. You see what I mean though? About this jungle being horrible?" Skuld in the meantime was lagging at the back moaning.

"It's so hot" she said. "It's humid and sticky". She swatted a mosquito that tried to bite her. "Eww! And there are bugs! How much further is it to this tree?" she called forward. Bob pulled out his map and turned to World of Elegance.

"Could you give me a bearing on North?" he asked. She pointed.

"Ok. Looks like…. About another ten miles".

"Ten miles!"

"Yep. Don't worry though; the skulls don't appear for another seven".

"Three miles of skulls!"

"I wouldn't worry" said World of Elegance. "Most likely, if there is anything out there, we can take it".

"That is, if we ever get there!" said Bob. He pulled a red banana from his bag, peeled it and took a bite. "Damn jungle! I would kill for daisy-cutters!" he said around the fruit.

"Look, stop moaning and keep chopping" said Saga.

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"If I were you, I would quit while I was a head!" said Bob, holding up a human skull.

"That's horrid!" said Skuld.

"Suit yourself" said Bob and he tossed the skull aside. They had been coming across bones for a while and rather worryingly, they had almost all been human. Chrono Heart of Stirling Silver gave a little shiver as she looked into the empty sockets of another skull. "You alright?" Bob asked. She nodded.

"It's alright. Skulls just give me the creeps".

"Same here" said Peorth. "I just can't help but wonder what it might be that could do this. There must be something fairly scary if it could kill so many people". They continued on in silence, unaware that they were being followed. The shadow descended headfirst from the tree, snarling quietly to itself. This was its territory! How dare the apes trespass here! But there were lots of them. It would wait before it struck. It would wait until they reached the tree.

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Time passes differently in different realms. What was days for Earth were just a few minutes for Kayrune. With a groan, she pulled herself across the snow, clasping a hand to her stomach in order to stop the bleeding. Grief overcame her as she crawled. Her sisters were dead! She was injured and worst of all, her angel… Her angel had been de-winged! She had been withdrawn into her body since the attack but the blade that had struck them had done its job. Cursed with dark magic's, if it so much as scratched either an angel or her Mistress then the angle's wings would be severed. And without them, an angel loses all of her power. So now, here she was, dying in the snowfields of Jötunnheim. She and her sisters had been betrayed. And now she would die. But first, she had to make it back. Earth was the closest realm but where could she go? Who could she warn? Who? Then she realised it; she would go to Lind. She must warn Lind!

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With an almighty crack, the bamboo shattered and Bob stepped forth into the glaring sun of the clearing. They had made it! They had reached the tree! It stood atop a mound of bones, the roots intertwining with them, passing between ribs and into eye-sockets. The site caused Skuld to gag.

"That's horrible!" she said. "What could have done this?" World of Elegance shook her head.

"I don't know but whatever it is, I don't think that we want to be around when whatever it is that killed them shows up". Bob nodded.

"Ok, let's just get the bark and then leg-it one". He crossed the clearing as quickly as he dared and stood at the base of the tree, the khukuri held loosely in his hand and looked up. The tree was nearly ten feet above him, perched atop the pile of bones. He looked back at the others. "How much do we need?" World of Elegance shrugged.

"Just a little. A few strips". Bob nodded and he looked across at Peorth.

"Hey, could you give me boost?" he asked her. She gave him a blank look.

"Are you kidding me? I think I've done quite enough for you today! Have World of Elegance do it, she hasn't done anything so far!"

"What did you say?" said the monochrome angel, giving her an angry look.

"You heard what I said" said Peorth and the two, plus Gorgeous Rose broke down in an argument. Bob sighed.

"What about you two?" he asked Eir and Saga. "Could you give me a boost?" They both crossed their arms and each raised an eyebrow.

"How exactly do you expect us to do that? You may be thin but you are also considerably heavier than either of us". Bob nodded.

"I not even going to ask Skuld so what about you Chrono? Could you help me?" She nodded.

"No problem". She stepped forward and looked up at the tree. "Hmm. Ok, turn around and stand still" she said. He nodded, confused but agreed. Before he knew what was happening, she had grabbed him and with a yell, she chucked him high into the air.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" he shouted down to her whilst dangling from one of the branches. She smiled up at him.

"Stop worrying and just collect the bark before Peorth and World of Elegance tear each-other a new one". He nodded down at her and swung himself up so that he was now seated upon the branch. He raised his brother's khukuri . And then Chrono leapt up and tackled him from the branch, knocking him flat on his back with her on top of him.

"Ow. Now what?" Then he saw the her blood. "Chrono! What the Hell happened!" She didn't answer, just pulled herself to her feet and summoned her poleaxe.

"Stay down!" she said, looking carefully around the clearing.

"But Chrono, your hurt!" She shrugged.

"It's just a scratch" she said and then turned rapidly. "Rosy! Look out!" Gorgeous Rose turned rapidly and saw what appeared to be a long spear streaking straight towards her from the trees. She gave a shout and was just in time to deflect the object with a Vine Shield spell.

"What the Hell!" she shouted and they all closed ranks, back-to-back, forming three circles.

"What in the world was that?" asked Noble Scarlet, looking petrified. She soon got her answer. A deep, rasping his emanated from the edge of the clearing and something began to descend from one of the trees, making its way into the sun one all fours, its long black claws glittering in the sun. The creature appeared to be made of wood and coated in a kind of green-grey moss. A long, prehensile tail hung between its rear legs and its face was crusted with short horns. I lacked eyes, having instead only two hollows that were sunk deeply into the surface of its face. It then reared up to a high of about three feet and bared its needle like teeth, a long tongue covered in barbs, slithering out of its mouth like a grotesque snake. And then it spoke, dribbling a thick green mucus.

"Apes should not have come! My tree! Mine!" it hissed.

"What is that?" Skuld whispered.

"It's a gnarl, a malignant tree sprit that preys on those that stray too close to its chosen tree" said Peorth.

"Is it dangerous?" Peorth glanced at the bone pile upon which the tree grew.

"You could say that. With luck though, we might be able to pacify it". She took a step forward. "I am Peorth, goddess first class. We do not mean you any harm, tree creature". The gnarl hissed and gnashed its teeth.

"LIES! You are ape! I smell! All apes! And apes must die!" With that the creature leapt forward, covering the twenty yards between it and Peorth in a fraction of a second. Its tongue shot forward, scything through the air with a whistle and Peorth was forced to duck back, dodging the creature. It landed a foot from where she was standing, turned rapidly on all fours and leapt again, aiming for Peorth's chest. She summoned one of her pair of mallets and batted the creature aside. It landed on its back, limps twitching but before Peorth could recover, it was up again. This time it didn't leap, just started slinking forwards, hissing. Peorth backed away, hammer held high. The gnarl seemed to grin. "Ape women strong. None hit me before! Me like challenge!" It rapidly turned its head towards one of the other groups. "But what of small apes? Can they fight? Or are they just food?" It shrieked and then charged, heading for Eir who was still clasping her scimitar in one hand. She sidestepped and kicked hard, catching the beast hard in the chest. At the same time, Saga charged in, catching gnarl with the tip of her blade. The gnarl howled and twisted away, pulling Saga's sword from her hand. It galloped across the clearing and with a single bound, it leapt to the top of the quinine tree. Hanging from the topmost branch by its long tail and one leg, it used its three free limbs to yank the sword free from its back. "BAD APES! YOU DIE NOW!" it shrieked. By now, they had managed to gather into a single group and were all armed and ready to face the creature's next attack.

"Agro little shit isn't it?" asked Bob, using the khukuri to tear a piece of fabric from his shirt, which he then handed to Chrono. She accepted it and tied it around the deep cut on her arm where the gnarl's tongue had caught her.

"Yep, real nasty piece of work isn't it?"

"But we should be ok now" said Gorgeous Rose. "I mean there's only one and it may be tough but it can't attack us all at once". Then they heard the creature laugh.

"One? Apes dumb! I am just one of many! I show!" It began rocking slowly on the branch it was hanging from, loosening its jaw as it did so. Then without warning, it shrieked. If there had been any glass in the area, it would have shattered. As it was though, it was enough to cripple the ears of the group that were facing it. The shriek seemed to go on for hours until it came to an abrupt halt. A few seconds pass and then another shriek. Louder. From all sides. The shriek of thousands of gnarls. "See dumb apes? See what comes now? Brothers and sisters! Mummy and Daddy! Aunties and Uncles and distant relations! And they all hungry! All hungry for ape-flesh!"

"Oh shit" said Peorth. "Bob, do you have a word for a moment like this? Something like FUBAR but meaning everything has gone wrong at once?"

"Aye. I think my brother would call this a clusterfuck!"

"Yep, that sounds about right". She turned to World of Elegance. "Got a plan?"

"Er? Not get eaten?"

"I meant other than that?"

"Well" said Chrono, "if we all attack it at once then we might be able to overwhelm it or at least distract it. While this is going on, one of us sneaks around and steals some bark and then as Bob said, we leg-it one before the rest show up. First though, we need some bait". They all turned to look at Bob.

"Oh man, why me?"

"YOU HO! MISTER EARLY BIRD!" Bob shouted at the gnarl as it hissed down from its seat. "YOU WANT FOOD? WHY DON'T YOU TRY AND EAT ME?" The gnarl snarled as Bob started a silly dance. "COME ON! I'M DELISHOUS! COME ON DOWN AND EAT ME!" The creature gave what could only be described as a grin.

"Stupid ape! Me will eat!" it jabbered and with a gurgling roar, it leapt from the tree, aiming straight for Bob. However, before it reached him, he had already turned on his heal and was hightailing it back towards the jungle. The creature landed and galloped after him, snarling as it came. However, a they reached the treeline, Chrono sprinted forward and swung her poleaxe, aiming for the gnarl's head. The creature dodged aside and leapt for her, only to be met by Peorth's twin hammers. It dodged, hiss and backed away only to be hit full in the face by a stick swung by World of Elegance. It snarled and snapped at her, missing her by inches and then scythed at Gorgeous Rose with its tongue. She backpedalled rapidly, swinging her own stick. Bob sliced at the monster and missed, then reared back and sliced again. This time though, the blade caught and with a massive snarl, the blade severed the creature's left arm. It shrieked and leapt backward, trying to put some distance between itself and its attackers. "STUPID APES!" it shouted and bared its teeth. "YOU HURT ME! HURT BAD! YOU SUFFER! YOU SUFFER BAD!" and to their surprise it rose up on its hind legs again. It began to gurgle and his and then with a horrifying shriek, it pulled on a strand of timber that was appeared to be growing from the severed stump. And then to their horror, it pulled a new arm out from inside its body. And it grew. And grew. And grew. In just a few seconds, it had gone from three foot tall to nearly ten foot.

"Ah" said Bob. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that". The creature turned its massive sinewy body towards them and growled.

"NOW APES WILL PAY!" it rumbled.

"Yah, we'll be leaving now!" said Eir.

"Yep" said Saga, waving the piece of bark they had just managed to retrieve while the gnarl had been fighting the others. The creature gave them a dumb look. It turned to look at the tree and saw the deep gash that they had carved into its tree. Then it turned back.

"You. Touched. Tree".

"Uh-oh" said Skuld.

"You touched my tree. How dare you touch my tree! Stupid apes! NOW YOU ALL DIE!" The creature roared; a blood curdling roar that would drive any normal person insane. And to make matters worse, the call was then taken up from all sides, indicating that they were about to be eaten.

"You know that second part of the plan?" said Noble Scarlet.

"Yeah?" said Bob. "You mean that bit where we run for our lives?"

"Yeah, that one. Shall we do that now?"

"Sounds good to me" said Peorth. "Bob?" She turned when he didn't answer and realised that he was already running for the trees, making swastika shapes with his arms and legs as he went . "Well? Shall we follow him?"

"Sounds good". They ran off screaming.

8888

They emerged from the trees by the river, breathless, having been running the entire ten miles from the clearing to the boat. It was fairly likely that they had lost the gnarls after they had left their territory but it was safer to be keep going just to be sure. The boat master looked up from picking his nose and gave them a disinterested look. He said something in ribeirinho.

"What he say?" Bob asked between breaths.

"He said; you're late, why you take so long?"

8888

Lind had fallen asleep sat beside Jago's bed, her head resting gently on his chest. Belldandy and Hild had left them in peace. They had done all they could to supress Jago's illness but Hild didn't have the type of magic to remove it from Lamb and even Belldandy couldn't slow it for long. In fact, the reason had fallen asleep was she had given over most of her power to Bell but it hadn't helped for long. All they could do now is wait. As for Jago himself, he had since slipped into a coma, as had Lamb, with Damascus not much better. The last thing she had said before slipping under was simple:

"Master says to tell Hild that if we die then he'll be back to get her". Lind had given her a smile but since then, they had all gone under. All that Lind could do now was wait. And hope. Keiichi came bustling into living room, carrying a mug of tea each for Belldandy and Hild.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

"Not great" said Hild. "Maybe an hour at best". Keiichi shook his head.

"What are we going to do? I mean, if Jago and the angels do die?"

"Well one of us is going to have to call his next of kin. Plus, if Lamb dies then we are going to have to contact the Almighty and let him know that the Archs are dead".

"So who's going to make the call then?" Keiichi asked.

"I suppose that I had better do that" said Belldandy.

"No. I'll do it". Lind had emerged from the bedroom, her face still stained with tears.

"You mean he's…?" Lind shook her head.

"No, not yet" she said. "But I don't think he has long. Besides, he is my responsibility, so I will be the one to phone the Almighty".

"I suppose you're right" said Belldandy. "If you thin-" but she was interrupted by the sound of a massive, turbocharged diesel engine. A Unimog to be precise. In unison, they raced outside, just as Jago's truck pulled into the yard. Bob leapt down from the cab while the truck was still moving and raced over to meet them.

"Have you got it? The cure?" Lind asked desperately. Bob held out the vial that Urd had brewed on the flight back.

"Here, take it!" he said. She gave him the briefest of smiles, took the vial and ran back towards the cottage. Belldandy smiled at Bob.

"You got it then?"

"Yeah" he said. "Now though, I need a drink. Something at least fourty per cent alcohol".

"Aren't you a bit young to be drinking?"

"Yeah but it has been one Hell of a day".

8888

Lind uncorked the vial and poured the contents into her mouth. She then leaned forward and then administered it to Jago mouth to mouth. Then all she could do was sit back and wait. She did. Nothing happened. For nearly an hour, she sat but nothing happened. Belldandy entered the room.

"Anything?" she asked. Lind shook her head.

"No".

"I should warn you, I just got some information from Hild".

"What?"

"First, you have to promise that you won't try to kill her".

"Ok. I promise".

"Ok, Hild said that… that the medicine never had a better than fifty per cent chance of working". Lind nodded. She stood. She turned and left the room. They were all waiting in the living room.

"Well?" asked Urd. Lind ignored her and crossed the room to Hild.

"I promised that I wouldn't kill you" she said quietly. She curled her hand into a fist. "I can't keep that promise". She punched Lind. Hard. The demon shot backward through the solid granite wall and slammed into the temple building. "You sent them to collect medicine that only had once chance in two to save my Jago" she said, cracking her knuckles.

"It was better than nothing" said Hild sympathetically.

"True. But I am still going to kill you Hild". She raised her fist again.

"No Lind! Stop!" called Belldandy.

"Sorry. It's too late now" said Lind and she swung. Then she stopped. Or rather, something forced her to stop. She turned, fighting mad and looked straight into the gaunt but smiling face of her lover.

"Oh come now, ye of little faith!"

"Jago!" she said and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "I thought you were dead!"

"What? Me? NAH! I had me fingers crossed!"

*1 This is not strictly true. Quinine, while not as effective and with more side-effects compared to modern drugs, is still used to treat malaria in severe cases where the parasite is resistant to other drugs or in impoverished areas, due to its low cost. It is the only anti-malarial considered safe to give to pregnant women.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Toyboata Hilux**

The darkened room between realms.

"That stunt you played was surprisingly effective my Lady. To use an Yggdrasil bug to mutate the Twoarch's existing sickness to the point that it was impossible for even the Daimankaichō to remove… I have to admit that it was a very clever idea". The woman smiled.

"Thank you my Lord" she said. "I felt that your Unkillable was taking too long to reach its objective so I thought that perhaps a quicker method would be more effective". The man nodded, grudgingly.

"In the future though my Lady, would it be possible for you to inform me before you begin one of your schemes". The Lady snorted.

"As you wish. So, are we to continue with the original plan and allow the Unkillable to deal with them?"

"Of course. In fact, your bug was rather useful in that it has probably depleted the spells that they have available form this point onwards. It will not be long now. Our spy tells me that he has arranged everything and they have no idea that they are really walking into a trap. Or should I say, sailing into a tap?" They both smiled.

"Very droll my Lord".

"Thank you my Lady".

8888

_The golem had made steady progress towards its target. It was now less than thirty days away although it may have been slightly sooner if it hadn't had that unfortunate run-in with that giant squid. Unfortunate that is, for the squid. The creature had attempted to attack the golem, wrapping its tooth lined tentacles around the massive stone and clay body and then, attempting to bite it. The golem had put up with this for nearly a day before getting annoyed and tore the unfortunate creature's limbs off and then left it to float away in the current. If it had been capable of feeling emotions then it would have been annoyed. But this was of little consequence. It would get there. It would kill Twoarchs._

8888

Jago's recovery was remarkably fast. Within three days, he had almost completely recovered. He was still a bit gaunt and he was eating less but he was already working back in the forge. Unfortunately, the disease was still there. It was true; malaria never really went away, even with divine help. However with the bug removed, it had reverted to a basic form of the disease and Jago could now keep it suppressed with his normal quinine pills, as he had before. Also, as soon as he had recovered, so had Damascus and Lamb, meaning it was now time for life to return to normal. So now, it was time for him to sort Bob out properly.

"WAKEY WAKEY!" Jago boomed into Bob's room, throwing on the light and hauling back the blanket. Bob gave a loud groan.

"For all that is good and holy! What time is it?" he moaned.

"About five".

"AM!?"

"Yep". Bob gave another groan.

"Why do I have to be up now? We don't start training for hours!"

"Shut up and get up! I've decided to take over your training for now and it's also your punishment for what you did to Noble Scarlet". He grinned. "RIGHT! FIVE MINUTES AND THEN OUTSIDE! OTHERWISE I'M COMING BACK WITH A BUCKET OF WATER!"

8888

Bob yawned as he made his was across the lawn towards where Jago and the angels were standing.

"Ok, I'm here" said Bob. "Now what is this training you wanted me to do?"

"It's simple. Pretty much the same thing you were doing with Lind except you'll be running about three times further".

"WHAT!"

"AH! No complaints! There's also one more thing. You get a ten minute head-start and then I come after you. I going to chase you with my hitting stick and if I catch you, I'm going to hit you with it. You then get another ten minutes and then I start chasing again. Damascus will run with you and when she thinks you have run far enough, she will give you a heads up so you can start back. Deal?"

"Why would you do this to me? I'm your brother!"

"That may be true but part of your punishment. By wearing you out, you should also be less inclined to lose your temper; you simply won't have the energy for it. It should also help to teach you some discipline because you're going to have to work out exactly how long and where it is safe to take breaks". Bob sighed but nodded. Jago grinned and pulled out his phone, clicking on the clock screen. "Right. You ten minutes begins… NOW. Get running!"

It must have been nearly a mile before Bob stopped for a breather. Damascus stood next to him, her arms folded across her chest and slight smile on her face.

"I wouldn't stop now if I were you" she said.

"And why not?"

"Well, for one thing, Master is on his way. Secondly, he is fast normally but he can sprint the entire distance now, especially since that fool of an angel is lending him her strength".

"You mean Lamb?"

"Yes I mean Lamb. As a fighting-arch, she can transfer her strength to others and can use it to boost Master's speed and stamina". She glanced up the road and grinned malignantly. "In fact, here they come now" she said. Bob looked back and there they were, charging down the road like a runaway truck.

"Eep!" said Bob and sent off at a run, trying to put some distance between him and them. Damascus came jogging up next to him, grinning.

"Too late" she said.

WHACK!

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Right, you have ten minutes until I hit you again. I suggest you get running!"

8888

They arrived back at the temple at roughly the same time as Spear Mint, Chrono and Heart of Stirling Silver. Bob's breath was ragged and he looked like he was about to collapse, several purple bruises scattered across his body from where and when Jago had caught up with him. Less than a minute later, Jago and Lamb appeared back at the temple.

"So you survived you first run" Jago said to Bob. "Right, breakfast won't be for a while so I have another job for you".

"Huh?" Bob said, so tired he could barely talk.

"RIGHT THEN!" boomed Jago. "SPLIT THAT WOOD!" He pointed towards a stack of logs that had been separated from the main pile. "You have fifteen minutes until breakfast starts. However, you don't get breakfast until you finish splitting. Lamb will keep an eye on you". Bob gave his brother a sour look to which Jago just grinned. "COME ON BOY! YOU IN THE ARMY NOW!"

Bob barely had time to grab a couple of slices of toast before he had to head off to school. Luckily, Belldandy had taken it upon herself to prepare him a lunch box and some of Jago's killer black coffee so that he would be able to continue working after school. Lamb was waiting by the main gate when he got home.

"Hey Bob. Good day?" He shrugged.

"Not bad. I guessing that Jago wants me to do more training now?" Lamb nodded.

"Yes. He asked me to help with your fighting training again". Bob smiled. He was tired but he enjoyed his practices with Lamb. She was a kind and considerate teacher and she would be sure to take care of him during their matches. "However, there is something he wanted to see you first".

"Why?"

"Well, I believe that he has something for you".

8888

Bob reverently took his new weapon from his older brother. It was a khukuri, almost identical to that of his brother. The sheath was made of toughened hardwood, wrapped in black leather and tipped with hard brass spike. He drew in and marvelled at the blade. A strong carbon steel blade, ten inches long and a handle of buffalo horn. He ran a finger down the length of the blade and winced as the slight pressure was more than enough to draw blood. He sheathed it and smiled at his older brother.

"Thank you" he said.

"I thought learning to use a khukuri would help you to learn some control. Not only must you learn to fight with it but you must also learn how to care for and maintain it". He drew his own blade and spun it a few times, before moving through a series of rapid combat moves, finishing with a rapid stab that stopped inches from Bob's face, making him jerk back. "You see. The day you can sit there when I aim straight for your face and not so much as blink, I will consider you sufficiently disciplined and trained. Until then though…" and he drew the blade rapidly across the back of one wrist, adding another scare the uncountable number that were already there, "I want you to train with it every day. However, before that, Lamb is going to lead you through your normal unarmed training. After that, I will teach you how to maintain your blade and then together, we will give you some lessons in how to use it". Bob nodded and smiled.

"Thank you again" he said. "I promise I won't disappoint you". He turned away to follow Lamb to the practice field but before he left, Jago called put to him.

"Don't make me regret this" he said.

8888

"I'm not sure about this Tamiya" said Keiichi, looking down at the plans before them. The former members of the Autoclub were gathered at the temple for a meeting, to discuss how they would modify their three-wheeler so that it could operate on water.

"Why the Hell not?" the giant man asked. "It's simple; we move the engine to the back of the vehicle and run a propeller from the drive chain".

"But won't that make the thing incredibly rear heavy? And what about the fact that it's a front wheel drive? How are we going run the thing if we move the engine?"

"Don't worry about it! You'll think of something" said Tamiya.

"That's right Dai! Morisato will always come up with something!" said Otaki. Keiichi sighed and nodded.

"That's the spirit!" said Tamiya. "We'll bring the car around tomorrow so you can start working on it". They headed outside and were just in time to see Jago pull into the yard with his truck and trailer. "Who's that?"

"Oh? That's Jago. He's urr…. Belldandy's English cousin".

"Her cousin?"

"Yeah, that's right. He's staying here for a while because he was evicted from his house".

"Then perhaps we should go and say hello" Otaki said. Before Keiichi could stop them, they had bustled over to Jago as he clambered down from the cab.

"Hey up? Who are you?" he said.

"I'm Tamiya" said the giant, holding out his hand which Jago shook warmly with his left, his right having been put in a cast.

"And they call me Otaki" said the giant. They were both taller than Jago and were more obviously muscular. However, Jago's size meant that he probably outweighed either of them and his arms bulged in such a way that suggested that under the fat was some serious power. He smiled.

"I'm Jago. I've heard of you two. Used to run the local Autoclub, right?"

"Yeah that's right".

"That's pretty cool. I'm not much of a spanner myself but I heard that it would be your car I would be racing against next month".

"You're in the race too?" Tamiya asked. "What you driving?" Jago grinned and jerked his thumb at the tarp-awning that covered he object that sat on his trailer.

"You wanna see? It's pretty sweet". They nodded and so he led them around to the trailer, undoing the ratchet-straps as he went. He pulled back the tarp and revealed the vehicle beneath: a Toyota Hilux.

"You using a pickup truck?" asked Otaki.

"How come?" asked Tamiya.

"I go the idea off Top Gear. They once built a boat out of a pickup and that made it across the English Channel without too much trouble. I thought that if they could do it, I should probably be able to do so too". Tamiya and Otaki stood stone faced for a while and then broke into smiles and grinned.

"You know, you're alright!" said Tamiya.

"Yeah, Jago mate, you're ok by us!" said Otaki. They both gave him a thumbs up.

"Hey Master! Good to se-"said Lamb as she appeared from around the corner of the house, followed closely by Damascus. However, she stopped herself when she spotted Tamiya and Otaki. The two giants turn to Keiichi, murder in their eyes.

"MO-RI-SA-TO!" they roared together, huge cross shaped veins popping on their foreheads.

"How dare you trick two more women into living here with you! You dirty snake!" said Tamiya

"Belldandy was fine and having Urd and Skuld here was ok because they were her sisters but now with Peorth, Lind, Eir, Saga and now these two… you scum!" said Otaki.

"I hope you're prepared to face the music!" said Tamiya. Keiichi backpedalled rapidly, frantically waving his hands in front of him.

"NO! WAIT! I'M NOT WITH THEM! THEY JUST LIVE HERE!" Luckily Jago came to his rescue, placing a vice like hand on each of their shoulders.

"Sorry guys, those two are with me. They're my sisters". At this the two giants calmed themselves.

"Oh. Sorry" said Tamiya, as sheepishly as the big man could manage. Jago smiled and he turned to his angels.

"So? How's little bro doing?" Lamb gave him a little smile.

"Sleeping. I think you wore him out". Jago nodded.

"Добре. We'll let him sleep till dinner and then after that, he can help with our truck". Damascus gave the Toyota a disapproving look.

"Do you really think we can win a race in something like that? It's ancient!" Jago nodded.

"Yah, its old but I have a cunning plan! Besides, you remember my motto, right?" Damascus grinned, allowing her fangs to peak out slightly.

"Nil Illegitimus Carborundum?"

"Exactly!"

8888

Shortly after Tamiya and Otaki left, Belldandy called everyone in for dinner. Bob was the late to appear, shaking the sleep from his head. He yawned heavily as he sat down and Jago gave him a smile.

"Alright sleeping beauty?" Bob grunted. "Hey come on, don't be like that. We still have things to do before you go bed".

"Like what exactly?"

"Well, I need someone to help me with the conversions to the truck". Bob managed a sleepy smile.

"We doing a Toyboata?" Jago nodded and they shared a grin. "Well let's make sure that we don't fill the engine bay with foam. Remember what happened when they did that?"

"Aye" said Jago, scratching his head and then he turned to Skuld. "That reminds me, could lend us a hand? I can spanner but I'm not brilliant and Monkey-face here, "jerking his thumb at his brother, "hasn't got a blind clue". Bob nodded.

"He's got a point. I can't even tell the difference between engines that runs on petrol or diesel unless I put fuel in it". Skuld snorted.

"That's easy! All you-"but Bob put up a hand.

"Don't try and explain. I won't understand. Just a yes or no; will you help Jago and I covert this truck?" Skuld nodded, as did Noble Scarlet.

"Ok, we're in!

"Добре, Добре" said Bob. Jago gave him an indignant look.

"That's MY line". He paused for a second and scratched his head. "I reckon I'm gonna need to borrow Lind too. Hard to fix things with a busted hand". He paused. "Just a thought but has anyone actually seen said moody Valkyrie"

"Not since she got home" said Chrono, wrinkling her brow. "She told me that I was to train with Mara this afternoon and she just disappeared after that".

"I saw one of her angels back at the house, while I was heading up here," said Bob, "but I couldn't tell which and I didn't have chance to say hi".

"I hope she's ok" said Belldandy. "It's not like Lind to miss a meal". At that moment, they heard someone swear and a heavy thump.

"I'm not the only one who just hear that, right?" said Jago. Heads shook and he sighed. "Ok, I'll check it". He headed outside, followed by Lamb and to his surprise, he found Lind sprawled on the floor, her angels stood on either side of her. "Alright there?" Jago asked. Lind raised her head and smiled.

"Yeah. I just tripped, that's all". Jago held out his good hand.

"Not like you Lind. I thought you were as sprightly as a goat".

"Even I can trip sometimes" she said, taking his hand and using it to pull herself to her feet. "Thanks" she said but then frowned at the face that Jago had on; he looked concerned. "What? It was just a trip". Jago didn't answer, just placed the back of one hand against her forehead. "What are you doing?" she asked, taking a step back.

"Just hold still a second" he said and pressed his hand back against her head. "Hmm".

"What?" Jago ignored her and half turned to Lamb.

"Could you go and get Keiichi for me?" he asked. She silently nodded and disappeared back inside the temple.

"Master Jago?" asked Cool Mint.

"Is there something wrong with Mistress?" asked Spear Mint.

"You tell me" said Jago. At that point, Lamb returned with Keiichi in tow.

"Hey Jago, what's up?" Jago turned to him, frowning.

"I need a second opinion" he said and turned back to Lind and place his hand back against her head. She slapped his arm down, irritably.

"Stop that! I may have tripped a little but there's nothing wrong with my head!"

"That may be so but you have a temperature" said Jago. He turned to Keiichi. "See what you think" he said.

"There's no need, I'm fine" said Lind. Jago shook his head.

"Come on Lind, just humour me a minute". She gave him a doubtful look but nodded.

"Ok. For you. Come on Keiichi, let's get this over with; I'm starving". Keiichi stepped forward and he placed a hand against Lind forehead. He held it there for a few seconds and then removed it.

"Jago's right you know Lind, you have a bit of a fever. Are you feeling alright?" Lind snorted.

"I feel fine" she said. "I just tripped and now apparently I have a temperature. But don't worry, I feel fine. Great in fact". Jago looked unconvinced.

"Yeah, but that's what I would have said before my malaria attack the other day and it started with dizziness and a fever".

"Are you suggesting that I've somehow caught malaria?" scoffed Lind. Jago shook his head.

"In Japan? Not likely. But I would feel safer if you would at least let Damascus take a look at you. If you are poorly then it would be better that we find out now than to wait". Lind shook her head.

"Honestly no, I'm fine. If there is anything wrong with me then I should be fine by tomorrow".

"I agree with Jago on this" said Keiichi. "When Belldandy got sick, she was fine at first but by the next day, she nearly died!" Lind glared at Keiichi.

"Who asked you Morisato?" she snapped, forcing him to take a step back. "I'm fine! Do you understand me? FINE! I have never felt better! I do not require the opinion of a human, a fraction of my age and who can barely even look after himself as to whether I'm ill or not!" She stopped and her face changed to a look of shame at the look of hurt on Keiichi's face. "I'm…. Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Least of all to my life-long friend". Keiichi rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"It's ok. We know you're the tough type and don't like to make a fuss. We're just concerned about you Lind". Lind nodded and sighed.

"Ok". She turned to Jago. "Do you insist that I get check out?" she asked.

"I would never insist anything against your will Lind. You forget, you are most important woman in my life and I could never do that to you". Lind blushed at this. "Besides, I may be tough but you could probably still kick my arse three ways from Sunday". At this, Lind really smiled and gave a little chuckle.

"You have a point" she said. "Thank you though".

"However!" said Jago, getting back on topic. "While I would never insist, I would highly recommend that you let Damascus at least give you a checking over". Lind still looked unconvinced but nodded.

"Alright. For you Jago". Jago smiled. "Ok Keiichi, you are no longer needed so I suggest that you go and grab some scram before Damascus eats it all. Lamb, if you wouldn't mind fetching said devil?" Lind grimaced.

"Does it have to be Damascus? Can't you send Belldandy" she asked.

"Why? Is there something wrong with my devil?"

"No! No!" said Lind. "It's just… It's just, that in truth she scares me a little and while I trust her, I know enough of her reputation to be scared". Jago furrowed his brow.

"Reputation?" he asked and then he opened his eyes wide as he made the connection. "Ohhhh! You mean from back when she was Nightmare Prime?" She nodded. "Lind, I'm surprised at you. You know she doesn't do that anymore. And to answer your question, no Belldandy would be a bad idea. She may be our best doctor but she's ALSO the cook and if you do have something and you give it to her then we're all gonna get it. So it is either Damascus or I call for Urd or Peorth to come and have a look at you". Lind mulled this over for a while. While both Urd and Peorth were extremely competent medics, neither were to her liking. Urd would probably force her to take some weird potion. And Peorth? Lind suddenly had a horrible metal image of the rose goddess in a white coat, carrying a rectal thermometer in one hand, a jar of petroleum jelly in the other.

"Ok Lind!" said the metal Peorth. "I'm going to need you to drop your knickers and bend over! And if you are a good girl then after we're done, you can have a lollipop!" Lind shuddered. No. She got on well enough with Peorth but…. No. Just No!

"Ok. Damascus it is" she said.

"That's the spirit!" said Jago. "That's my Rock Steady Crew!" Lind smiled and followed Jago inside.

"Mistress" said Spear Mint, contacting Lind through their mental link.

"Yes?"

"I think I have been put off lollipops for life".

"Same here" said Cool Mint.

"Well, that makes three of us then. Don't worry though. Damascus may be scary but I doubt she uses thermometers".

8888

Lind was laid out flat on a borrowed futon, Cool Mint and Spear Mint sat on the one side and Damascus knelt on the other, her hand glowing slightly as she ran it over Lind's body, about an inch from Lind's skin. Lind's eyes followed Damascus's hand, a look of annoyance written across her face.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Lind asked.

"Don't talk please" said Damascus. "This isn't exactly easy". Lind sighed.

"Alright, fine. But how much longer?"

"What did I just say? Now shush". After a few minutes, she stopped her scan. "Hmm" she said.

"Well?" said Lind, hauling herself into a sitting position. "What's wrong?" Damascus wriggled her nose, thinking.

"Well I can say one thing; you definitely have a stomach infection of some sort". Lind sighed.

"Yes, I know that! I was just keeping quiet about it".

"Why would you do that?" said Damascus, cocking her head.

"I'm a Valkyrie. Or at least, I was. As such, I have been trained to hide any weakness or illness".

"Well, whatever" said Damascus. "Now I going to have to ask you some questions so I can work out exactly what you have".

"Alright" said Lind.

"Ok, firstly I need to know whether you have had any other symptoms. I know about the fever and you being a bit unsteady. Is there anything else I need to know about?"

"No. Just what you've mentioned".

"But what about-"started Cool Mint but Lind shot her a look.

"What was that?" asked Damascus.

"Nothing!" snapped Lind, defensively. Damascus snorted and snapped her fingers, causing Lind to cough.

"Sorry about that. Now, what were you saying?" Damascus said to Cool Mint. Lind went to say something but all that came out was a cough. "And you are not going to be able to say a thing until after I have completed my diagnosis".

"What did you do to Mistress?" asked Spear Mint.

"All I did was put a temporary muting spell on her so that all she can do is cough when she tries to speak. That way I can complete our diagnosis without any more interruptions". Lind gave her an angry look but she ignored it. "Now, any other symptoms?"

"Well…" said Cool Mint, giving Lind a cautious look but continuing anyway, "Mistress has had a headache and weakness for a while now. There has also been some… some nausea".

"Not just nausea though" said Spear Mint, ignoring her Mistress's frantic hand signals. "Our Mistress was violently sick earlier". She grimaced. "Not pleasant. Also, she has been drained and lethargic which is why nobody has seen her all day; she's had to stay in bed".

"Hmm. I see" said Damascus, wrinkling her nose again. "Well in that case, I think that I know what Lind has". She snapped her fingers and closed one eye as she removed the muting spell, knowing full way the wave of abuse that Lind was about to unleash on her. After a few minutes, she held up a hand. "Now look, if you don't stop, I'll put another muting spell on you". Lind shut up at that but still looked annoyed.

"Well then? What have I caught then?"

"Well…."

8888

"Lind appears to have Norovirus" Damascus told the temple's residents. Jago gave a loud groan and started to rhythmically thump his head against the table.

"What's up Mister Jago?" Belldandy. "Is there something wrong?" Jago kept his head firmly against the table.

"Bell, you are the sweetest of women and you may have been longer than the rest of the goddesses put together but you still don't know much about human illnesses, do you?" He didn't need to lift his head to know she was upset. He sighed. "Ok, I'm sorry" he said, lifting his head and rubbing his face. "It's just that we're in for one Hell of a week".

"Why? What's Norovirus?" asked Peorth.

"Norovirus, also known as Winter Vomiting Bug, is the most common human stomach illnesses".

"Sounds bad" said Urd.

"Not really. Does what is says on the box. It's just that Lind is going to be real grouchy for the next few days. Plus…" he said, looking around, "It's highly contagious".

"What do you mean?" asked Belldandy.

"Well I don't know how a human virus has made the jump to goddesses but if Lind has it, it's pretty safe to assume that all of you have it as well. It's going to be a right barrel of laughs round here for the next few days".

"Is there any medicine that can fix this?" asked Skuld.

"Could be. I doubt it though". He leaned back, scratching his head. "To be honest, it wouldn't be much good anyway. It should only last a couple of days at most and it's not like it's dangerous or anything. It's just unpleasant". At this point, Urd stood up, putting her hands on her hips.

"Alright, I suppose I had better put together some medicine together" she said, turning to leave the room.

"I'm not sure, Lind might not like that".

"Huh, don't worry! We probably all have it already right? Well then, I'll try it on myself before I give it to anyone else". They nodded and then sat quietly for a few minutes, until they were surprised by the appearance of Lind herself. She looked a little green in the face and groaned a little as she sat down.

"Feeling ok?" Jago asked. Lind nodded and then placed a hand on her stomach as it did a little flip.

"Yeah, just about" she said. "Where did Urd go?" she asked.

"She went to make some medicine" said Peorth. "She'll be back soon". They returned to silence, except Lind who had started picking at a bowl of plain rice. After a while, Keiichi who had been pondering their current predicament, decided to speak up.

"There's something I don't quite understand" he said. "How is it that Lind has caught a human illness? I mean, I thought that goddesses were immune to Earthly diseases so how is it that one of you has caught one?" Belldandy nodded.

"It is very strange" she said. "Lind, have you done anything recently that could have caused you catch a virus?"

"No" said Lind, very firmly. "I haven't done anything out of the ordinary since before Jago's malaria attack".

"There's something else too" said Peorth. "When we were looking for that quinine for Jago, we met a gnarl. A particularly vicious gnarl".

"A gnarl?" asked Belldandy. "But they're tree protectors. Why would they attack goddesses".

"Well for some reason it didn't recognise us as goddesses. It thought we were human, even after we used magic".

"But why wouldn't it recognise you as goddesses? It should be able to detect our auras and from them, it should be able to tell we weren't human".

"Maybe I can provide an answer" said Urd as she pushed the tea-room door open.

"Urd? What's wrong?" asked Belldandy, as Urd's face was currently ashen.

"It's quite simple Bell; I think we have reached out limit for the number of spells we can use in our current form. In short, any new spells that we try to use will simply fizzle out from lack of power. I guess that our link to Jago has meant that we are now vulnerable to human illnesses and because our magical fields are now so weak, we no longer have the natural resistance that they usually provide".

"So what exactly are you trying to say?" asked Peorth.

"What I'm trying to say Peorth" said Urd with a sigh, "Is that I can't fix the Norovirus and none of us will have enough magic to remove it that way. Either way, it doesn't matter. My main point now is this: from now on, we are all effectively human!"

8888

A few test spells confirmed it: most of the goddesses had reached the limits of the number of spells they could use. The mood had become sombre and so, instead of working on his truck, Jago had suggested early nights all around. It was much later, after they were all in bed that Damascus had called Lamb, Spear Mint and Cool Mint to Jago's living room.

"Ok, what now Damascus?" Lamb asked the devil.

"Well, there is something that I need to inform the three of you" she said. "You remember that I performed a scan on your Mistress earlier?" she said to the Mint Sisters.

"Yes but what about it?" asked Cool Mint.

"Well during the scan, I discovered something… odd".

"What do you mean odd?" asked Spear Mint.

"What I mean is that I discovered something else apart from the virus. Something that I thought you three should know".

"What are you getting at Damascus?" asked Lamb giving a frustrated look. Damascus sighed and she explained it to them. After her explanation, the other three remained in stunned silence.

"Are you sure?" asked Cool Mint eventually.

"Fairly sure" said Damascus. "This may be my first personal experience of something like this but I know enough to recognise the signs".

"Oh, I'm so happy!" said Spear Mint. "We must tell Mistress at once!" She rose from her seat and started to make her way towards the bedroom but Damascus block her path.

"That might not be such a god idea" she said.

"Why not?" asked Spear Mint.

"Well, I'm fairly sure about this but I may be wrong. Plus I don't want to raise their hopes too high, just in case I'm either wrong or in case something goes wrong".

"I have to say that I agree with Damascus on this" said Lamb. "At least for now we should wait. Let's at least give it a few weeks before we tell them. At least that way, if there is a problem, we may have a chance to solve it". Spear Mint and Cool Mint looked reluctant but eventually nodded.

"Ok, at least for now we'll keep it quiet. We just hope you know what you're doing".

8888

True to Jago's prediction, the next few days were fairly hellish. Norovirus tore through the temple residents like wildfire, leaving many of them bed ridden. However, within a few days all had returned to normal with one exception; Lind was still suffering from vomiting nearly a month later. Belldandy had tried to help her but had been unable to find anything wrong. Little did she know that Lamb, Damascus and the Mint sisters were conspiring to keep the truth hidden. Luckily though, Lind was well enough for the most part to help with Jago's conversion of the old Toyota Hilux into a Toyboata. Skuld, Noble Scarlet and Bob were also tasked with helping him, as chief mechanic, assistant mechanic and grease monkey respectively. Now, it was the night before the race and they were making some last minute checks and adjustments to their vehicle.

"How's the floats looking Bob?" asked Jago, pulling himself out from under the front of the vehicle. As Jago's jack was currently out of operation, Lind had volunteered to lift the front of the vehicle while Jago was under it and now she let it down with a sigh. She was strong but holding up the front of a pickup truck which had had its suspension locked off was a pain for anyone.

"They look good" said Bob, thumping one of the foam filled drums with the flat of his palm. "They aren't going anywhere". Skuld squirmed out from under the truck, holding a large spanner.

"Well of course they're fine! I was the one who attached them!" Jago gave a snort and Skuld slid back under the truck. "Honestly, you would think that by now, they would learn to trust my work!" Jago gave a little grin and then grabbed hold of the side of the truck, hauling himself into the bed. The plan was simple in the extreme. The tiny engine had been swopped for a powerful V8 and to power them through the water, a huge outboard motor had been fitted to the welded up tailgate. They had fitted a centralised steering system from a power boat that would control the outboard while on land, the main engine would provide the power. They had also welded up the doors and sealed the windows with foam so as to prevent leakages. The suspension had been locked off to prevent it from dropping while in the water and as a bonus, they had fitted a bow to the truck so that it would cut more cleanly through the water.

"Do you think she'll run?" Bob asked Jago.

"Oh she'll run. It's just a question of whether she'll float!"

"You know that doesn't fill me with any confidence at all" said Damascus, poking her head out of the sunroof. "I'm the one who's going to be stuck in this death trap if we start going down".

"If you're that worried about it then I'll give you a hammer as well as a bucket" said Jago.

"A hammer?"

"To break the windscreen. Now quit moaning! Skuld, out from under the truck! Time for an engine test!" Jago swung himself into the rear of the truck and then slid in through the sun roof. "OW! I think the gearstick went up my arse!" he said and then with a certain amount of grumbling, he pulled out his keys and tried to start the truck. The engine gave a splutter but nothing more. "Damn!" He tried again. Same result! "BUGGER IT!" he shouted. "Lind, give the bloody thing a kick!" Lind nodded and kicked the truck hard in the grill while Jago tried the key again. With a splutter and a roar, the engine came to life and bellowed it's fury across the temple grounds. "SHE LIVES! DRINKS ARE ON ME!"

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"I'm not sure about this" said Damascus, pulling at one of the straps of her bikini. It was a deep purple with silver sequins in the shape of bat wings. Overall it wasn't too bad for a two piece but it was still too much for the, as it turned out, rather shy Damascus. It was race day and knowing what his inventions were like, Jago had suggested changing into swim wear so that they were prepared for the inevitable sinking. Still, Damascus was rather conservative as devils went and wasn't used to dressing in such a revealing outfit. Lamb snorted.

"I don't know what you're worried about" she said as she emerged from the bedroom in her own white and gold bikini. "I mean, I think mine rather suits me!" she said, striking a pose that highlighted her "assets" to their greatest potential. Damascus turned beet red.

"You look like a trollop!" she said. Lamb closed one eye in annoyance.

"You just jealous because I'm bigger than you are". If it was possible, Damascus went an even deeper shade of red.

"You shameless harlot!"

"Well Urd says that if you've got it then you should flaunt it which I fully intend to do. I would suggest that you do the same but you haven't got enough to flaunt!"

"What is that supposed to mean!" said Damascus. "I may be smaller but my breasts are still great!"

"We'll see" said Lamb. "For now though, let's see what Master says about our swimsuits. I hope he likes them".

8888

Jago had nearly choked on his coffee when his angels had appeared from the bedroom. They looked stunning. He on the other hand, was dressed pretty much the same way as always; battered shirt, a pair of beach shorts and sandals. If he were to describe himself, he would say he looked like an orang-utan who had been put into cloths and then strategically shaved. However, this wasn't the most important thing at the moment; it was time to race.

Keiichi and Belldandy were already at the track when they arrived. They were helping Tamiya and Otaki perform some last minute checks on the three-wheeler before they set off. However, all worked stopped when the Toyboata arrived. The dark blue pickup looked like someone had stolen it from a scrap heap, taking the time along the way to nab a huge outboard motor and a couple of oil drums. The two giants couldn't help but laugh.

"Look at that thing!" said Tamiya. "How in the world are they race something like that, huh Dai?"

"You said it Den!" said Otaki, leaning heavily on his friend.

"What do you mean?" asked Lamb, jumping nimbly down from the back of the truck. One look at her was enough to shut the two giants up. Meanwhile, Jago popped the sunroof and hauled himself out of the cab and onto the bonnet before turning to help Damascus out.

"Wow".

"They're hot". Jago brushed one arm back, just far enough to reveal his ever present khukuri as he turned towards the two giants, his face set in a terrifyingly cheerful grin.

"I'm sorry, what did you say about my sisters?" The two men gulped.

"Nothing" said Tamiya. At this point, Belldandy emerged from behind the car, followed by Keiichi.

"Oh Jago! You made it!" she said happily. Jago grinned.

"Did you really think I wouldn't?" Keiichi smiled and nodded towards the Toyboata.

"I have to say, I wasn't sure when you said that you were serious about racing with a pickup but now I see it, I'm worried. It looks like it might be decent racer".

"Thanks K" Jago said. "Wanna see the techs and specs?" Keiichi nodded and followed Jago over to the truck, followed by Tamiya and Otaki, leaving Lamb and Damascus alone with Belldandy.

"I think today is going to be a good race but I should warn you that just because we're friends, doesn't mean we'll hold back!" said Belldandy.

"Don't worry" said Lamb. "We'll be sure to give it our all". Belldandy nodded.

"Good. But make sure that you have fun while you're doing it else there's not much point to it". The two women shook hands and smiled at each other.

"Just one thing" said Damascus. "Where's Holybell?" Belldandy wince slightly at the mentioning of her angel's name in public but as there was no one around, it wasn't really a problem. She pointed up towards the stands. Holybell waved down at them from her seat, in the middle of the crowd that made was made up of the various temple residents. Even Keiichi's little sister Megumi was there, stood between Skuld and Bob, cheering her support for Keiichi and Bell. "Why didn't you bring her with you?" asked Damascus.

"No room" said Belldandy. "Our car only has two seats. However, I know she supports Keiichi and I and will be waiting for us when we get back".

"That is of course, if you get back" came a drawling voice. They all turned to see Toshiyuki making his way across the track towards them. Belldandy's smile disappeared and s her face became stern.

"Hello Mister Aoshima" she said curtly.

"Now, now, there's no need for a look like that" Toshiyuki said, flicking his hair. "I was just coming over to check out the competition although from the looks of things, competition may be bit of a stretch of the word".

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Damascus.

"I mean that most of these vehicles are so poor that they have no hope of beating our car". He pointed towards a strange looking blue sports car that didn't appear to have a make badge. "None of you stand a chance of beating our machine. But where are my manners?" he said and extended a hand towards Lamb, grinning wolfishly. She was about to take it when Damascus stepped in front of him and swatted it away.

"Try and touch me or my sister again, you scabby little reptile and I will personally ensure that you never touch anyone ever again" she said, flashing her fangs in a warning smile. Toshiyuki took a step backwards, a worried look on his face but then he regained his composure and simply pushed his glasses back up.

"Come now madam, I was only trying to be friendly".

"Yeah and I'm the Angel of the North". Toshiyuki shook himself and turned back to Belldandy.

"Anyway, the real reason that I came over was that I have a little wager that I would like to propose" he said. "I was originally planning on making my offer directly to Morisato but as it is, I think I shall make my offer directly to you". Belldandy nodded.

"Very well, make your offer".

"My wager is this; if you somehow manage to beat my car then you and Morisato can have my entire collection of rare, valuable antique cars and motorcycles". Belldandy nodded. She knew how much Keiichi liked old bikes and so this would be a great prize for him.

"And if you win?" she asked.

"WHEN I win, I want you to give yourself to me. Mind, body and soul. I want you to be mine!" Belldandy gasped and took a step back, looking shocked. She knew that Keiichi was a good racer but if she accepted then there was a chance that she would lose him. And if that happened, she wasn't sure she could live with herself. However, she then hardened her face.

"I accept" she said. Toshiyuki ginned.

"Good. I look forward to spending some quality time with you my dear Belldandy" he said and he turned away, heading back towards the crowd. Lamb and Damascus both gave Belldandy worried looks.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" asked Lamb. "Whichever way you look at it, the odds are definitely against us". Belldandy nodded.

"That's true. However, I have every confidence that Keiichi and I will prevail".

"You really do don't you?" said Lamb. "Lind has the same confidence in Jago. If she didn't, she would never have decided to stay with him".

"Speaking of Lind, has anyone seen her?" asked Damascus. "Master was hoping that she would make an appearance at some point. He wanted to speak to her". Lamb cleared her throat.

"She's over there" she said, gesturing towards the Toyboata. Lind and Jago were currently involved in a passionate kiss that was just awkward enough to make them look away. It was at that moment that Keiichi reappeared at the side of car.

"High Bell. We ready to go?" She nodded and then proceeded to explain the terms of Toshiyuki's wager. "WHAT!" he screeched. "How could you make a bet like that without telling me?" Belldandy looked disheartened.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing". Keiichi sighed as he saw tears come to her eyes and he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. Just make sure that you ask me before you make any bets like this in the future, ok?" he asked. Belldandy nodded and smiled.

"Hello, hello, hello, what's going on here then?" Jago asked. Belldandy explained. Jago was quiet for a moment, then exhaled heavily though his lips while scratching his head. "Risky" he said. "Then again, I bet that bastard that my Unimog against his Ferrari that I could beat his car during this race".

"So we're both in trouble, are we?" asked Keiichi.

"Yep. But don't worry. If he tries anything funny then Lind is going to beat seven kinds of shit out of him".

"THE RACE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! ALL DIRVERS TO THEIR VEHICLES!" came the voice of the announcer over the speaker system. Jago and Keiichi looked at each other, shared a grin and shook hands.

"May the best man win" said Jago.

"Same to you" said Keiichi.

8888

Miss Sayoko Mishima sat in the box, next to her cousin Toshiyuki, bored out of her mind. She had only agreed to come along because of the chance that the investors who had been invited would seek a possible investment with the Mishima Group as well as the Aoshima Conglomerate. So, as she was the daughter of the Mishima group CEO, it was her job to represent her father's company. At least, that was part of the reason. The other was that she wanted to see Keiichi and Belldandy. Since they had graduated, she hadn't seen much of her rival who had replace her as queen of the campus and she had seen even less of Keiichi. Keiichi Morisato; the only man who had ever been able to reject her advances. She grinned as Toshiyuki continued to prattle on. Perhaps if Keiichi lost this race and Belldandy were taken then perhaps she would finally be able to steal him. She stifled a yawn as her cousin began to explain about some secret weapon that he had apparently got planned for Jago in particular once they go to the marine section. She didn't care. She just wanted this race to be over with.

"FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!" shouted the announcer over the speakers and thirty vehicles roared away from the start, each jockeying to try and reach the lead positions. Sayoko briefly caught sight of Keiichi''s tiny three wheeler as it scrambled to get past a massive blue pick with what looked like a boat engine strapped to the back.

"Good luck Keiichi" she said. "You're going to need it".

8888

Lind sat perched on the roof of the box, listening to Toshiyuki's ranting's. Jago had been right; the sly weasel was planning something unpleasant for them once they reached the water course. She definitely would have to keep an eye on him. Especially since Jago had been right; he smelt unusual. Not like a demon but certainly not like a normal human should. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

8888

"Decrease speed to fourty, take the next right and then increase speed to sixty" said Belldandy, checking the list of coordinates. They were currently third, just behind a modified rally car and were catching up fast. Keiichi swung the car hard right, drifting it around the corner and then did as Bell said and stomped down on the throttle as they roared away down the straight. He glanced in his mirror, checking for Jago but he couldn't see him. He hoped he was doing ok.

"Ok Bell, what's next?"

"Continue straight for one mile, and then take the next left, decreasing speed to thirty. After that, it's a three mile straight so just put your foot down" she said.

"Ok". At the next turn, they overtook the rally car and were now in second. This meant that now they were in second place. Just one more car left to pass. The most important one; Toshiyuki's. "I'm not going to let him take Bell away from me" Keiichi muttered through clenched teeth. "I will win no matter what!"

8888

Meanwhile, Jago's car was in tenth place, currently behind a pair of modified BMWs. They were working in concert to block him out and he couldn't get passed.

"AH! This is getting annoying!" said Damascus. "How are we going to get passed them?" Jago shook his head.

"Not sure yet. Anyway, what's coming up next?" Damascus glanced down at the map and checked.

"Hard left and then a three mile straight". Jago nodded.

"Right then. I'll pass them on the next turn and then we use the "purple custard" to get ahead". Damascus grinned.

"I like the sound of that plan!" At the corner, Jago spun the wheel hard and put the pickup through a power-slide, slipping between the BMWs as they were forced to separate as they tried to avoid colliding as they went around the tight bend.

"NOW! GO, GO PURPLE CUSTARD!" shouted Jago and Damascus flicked the switch that would usually control the air-con. However, what happened was far more spectacular than changing the temperature; the exhausts flared with blue flames and the truck roared forwards as gallon of pure Nitrous Oxide was dumped into the fuel system. With a terrific bellow the truck shot forwards, jumping them almost instantly from tenth to fourth place. From the back, Lamb gave a kamikaze whoop as they surged forward and with a grin, Jago and Damascus started to whoop too, hauling on the cord for the air horn. Nothing could beat them now!

Keiichi heard a huge noise coming from behind him as he passed Toshiyuki's car. He took a second to glance in the mirror and to his surprise, he saw Jago's Toyboata come roaring down the street, overtaking the rally car and pulling into third place. He grinned. He wasn't sure how Jago had managed to catch up to them so quickly but it didn't matter. There was only one corner left and then it would be their biggest test; the sea.

"THIS IS INCREDIBEL FOLKS!" boomed the announcer over the speakers. "It would appear that car Number Seven has somehow managed to catch up to the leaders! Despite the fact that it has been given the lowest odds of winning, it appears that the Toyboata Hilux is more than a match for even the most experienced racers!"

"Damn them!" said Toshiyuki, thumping his hand hard on the side of his seat. "That bastard fitted a Nitrous injector to his truck!" Sayoko gave him a quizzical look.

"Is that bad?"

"It means that his car gets a massive power boost for a short time! Look see," he said, pointing at the screen, "he's now overtaken our car! Now both he and Morisato are ahead of us!" He paused and took a moment to calm himself. "No matter. My "assistant" will deal with them". He pulled out his phone and tapped out a text before sending it off. He grinned. "Now let's see them get around that!"

8888

_From the bottom of the bay, the golem stirred. The holes where its eyes and mouth should have been glowed orange as it stood, stirring up a cloud of sediment and it turned its face towards the surface. Its master's spy had sent the activation message. Twoarchs was coming. It was time to strike. _

8888

Jago's Toyboata entered the water seconds behind Keiichi, throwing up a large bow-wave as it went. He popped the roof and hauled himself out.

"Ok lass?" he said to Lamb who nodded and unbuckled herself from the steering setup, allowing Jago to take her place and start the outboard. The engine gurgled and then started with a bang, starting the truck on its way. While Jago started them rolling, Lamb folded down the stability drums and then scooped up the pair of buckets that Jago had provided. Damascus popped her head out of the cab and accepted the bucket from Lamb.

"Master says to bail like we're being paid for it!" she said, indicating the cab which was already starting to leek. Damascus nodded and started bailing, trying to empty some of the water back out of the truck. Lamb was also bailing, trying to empty out the bed of the truck where waves had actually started to overtop the sides. Not far ahead, Keiichi and Belldandy's three-wheeler was chugging along at a steady pace, powered a prop which had been attached directly to the drive train. However, now Jago's vehicle had the advantage. The three-wheeler was fast mostly because it was so light but its tiny engine couldn't compete with the massive outboard. All they could do was watch as the Toyboata came rumbling past. Jago waved at them as they went past, pulling a big, stupid grin. Keiichi grinned and waved back, as did Belldandy. They knew that there was nothing that they could do to outrun the big truck now. However, Jago now had just spotted a problem; Toshiyuki's car. Or perhaps a plane? It was making towards them at a vast rate of knots, seeming to hover above the water as it went.

"How are they doing that Master?" Lamb asked, meaning the oncoming vehicle. Jago was puzzled too. Then he twigged.

"Oh, for fuck sake!" Jago said. "They would use a bloody hydrofoil!"

"What's a hydrofoil Master?"

"It's a clever machine that basically uses high density air to hold it above a surface by traveling at high speeds. Very clever, very rare and extremely expensive to build and maintain".

"Fast too!" said Lamb, indicating the machine. It was almost on top of the now and if it got past them then there would be no way that they would be able to win. "Hang on Master; you said it needs to be traveling fast in order to float like that. What if we slow it down?" Jago thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Ok. Good plan. Now take the wheel!" He unclipped himself and made his way over to the cab of the truck. "Damascus, radio!" he said and she handed it to him between scoops. He flicked through channels until he found the one that Keiichi was on. "Hello Keiichi? Come in Keiichi?"

"This is Belldandy. Keiichi's busy. Is that you Jago?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen; that bastard Toshiyuki has himself a Swiss made hydrofoil-car and if he gets past us then there's no way we'll be able to catch him. Luckily, I know a way to slow him down a bit. If I can keep him busy, can you two stay ahead of us and win? I gonna have to weave to stop him getting around us and I don't have the horsepower to do that and race against those other guys. So I'm relying on you two to win. Can you do it?" Silence. And then the radio crackled.

"Roger that. Good luck". Jago handed the radio back to Damascus and then took his seat at the steering column.

"What's the plan then Master?" asked Lamb.

"Simple; we weave about close in front of them. Hydrofoils don't like rough water and if we can make enough of a wake, we might be able to disrupt them. Also, hydrofoils are exceptionally bad at turning and if they try too hard then they can actually damage the fin that lets them float like that".

"Will it sink them if it's damaged?" Jago shrugged.

"Probably not but it will at least slow them down a bit". Lamb nodded.

"Alright, let's do it!"

8888

From her vantage point on top of Toshiyuki and Sayoko's box, Lind could sense something happening. She had noticed an energy spike coming from the bay area and it made her uneasy. It was unusual, not exactly magical and so it was unlikely that any of the others would have sensed it but definitely there. She stood and closed her eyes, her angels lending their power so that she could find the source of the energy. Whatever it was, it was growing in strength. And it was moving at great speed. She focused. She could almost see it. Almost… There! She had found it! And then her eyes shot open and she let out a gasp.

"It can't be!" she whispered. "They were all destroyed!" But it was. Its energy signature showed it for what it was; an Unkillable! And it was heading for Jago. "Spear Mint, Cool Mint!" shouted, changing into her Valkyrie uniform in a flash as her angels shrugged off their disguises, each stretching out their single wing. Lind ran her hand over three of the boosters that lined her shoulder and the three of them shot forward with a bang as they passed through the mach. But it was already too late; the Unkillable had reached Jago.

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It was actually Toshiyuki's hydrofoil that saved them. The driver, seeing Jago's attempt to destabilise his vehicle with the trucks wake, he had recklessly tried to swerve around the Toyboata while also trying to accelerate. The problem was that he had miscalculated the rate at which he could turn and had put himself of a collision course with the truck. He couldn't turn and he couldn't slow. Jago couldn't turn either fast enough either so he did the only thing he could do; he slammed the truck into reverse and prayed. The two boats collided with a sickening crunch, the hydrofoil wing being wrenched free from the underside of the while cutting through the bonnet of the Toyboata and putting it into a spin. At the exact moment that the two collided, a huge _thing_ rocketed up from the surface, right where the front of the truck would have been. Jago had the briefest glimpse of a pair of grapefruit size orange eyes and a glowing, orange mouth that was set in a permanent grimace. Then it was gone. However, the wave it had created, coupled with the impact with the hydrofoil was enough to flip the huge truck and hurl it violently against the waves. Lamb was thrown clear of the vehicle but Jago and Damascus were still buckled in. Water flooded Jago's eyes and nostrils as he was left dangling from his seat. He shook himself tried to pull himself free found he couldn't. His harness had jammed. With practiced speed, he dragged his khukuri from its sheath and cut through the harness. He dove down as glanced across to see Damascus pull herself free of the cab and make for the surface. He followed her and they emerged, gasping.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah" she panted. "I'm good". Jago grinned.

"Good. Lamb, you good?" No reply. "Lamb?" He then used his mind to try and contact her.

_"Lamb! Where the Hell are you?"_

_"Don't come Master! I'm bellow but if you come, you'll die!_" Jago looked down and saw a descending column of bubbles, lit by a sinister orange light. "SHIT!" Jago shouted and turned to Damascus. "Stay here!" he said and he took a breath, slipped his knife between his teeth and dived downward.

"NO MASTER!" Damascus shouted but it was too late, he was already gone.

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Lamb's lungs burned she fought for air. The thing that had grabbed her when she was thrown free of the truck had her by the throat and was bearing her to the bottom. It resembled a man but made of baked clay, turned green from years of exposure to deep sea algae. It was nearly eight foot tall and looked as if it had once been made to look like a well-muscled man but over the years it had been work down by the constant movement of currents and so, it had been worn nearly smooth in some places. Its face was still recognisable though. A horrifying grimace which illuminated the scene as orange light poured forth from its mouth and eyes, liquid fire burning from within. She knew this monster. She knew that she would die. Still, she would fight.

She discarded her disguise and spread her powerful wings to their maximum extent, a full twenty feet from tip to tip. And now she used them in the way that only an Arch truly could: as a weapon. She pulled her hands away from her throat, knowing it was pointless and she placed one on the chest of the monster. He concentrated, her oxygen starved brain struggling to keep her conscious. Her wings glowed as she began draw energy through them, using the surrounding water as a source of power. She channelled the power through her wings, into her body, down her arm and into her hand, building an Angelic Soul Bomb that would hopefully tear the monster apart. She then felt her Master contact her.

_"Lamb! Where the Hell are you?"_

_"Don't come Master! I'm bellow but if you come, you'll die!"_ She looked past the Unkillable and saw Jago dive down towards her.

"_NO MASTER! You'll be killed too!"_ Jago ignored her and kept coming, latching onto the back of the stone monster like some obscene limpet. He spat out his knife and preceded to jam the blade into the neck of the thing, trying to find something to cut. "_NO MASTER!"_ she said again but again he ignored her and pulled his knife free, before jamming it back in. His attack seemed to have no effect except to make the thing angry and it reached around with one hand to pull Jago from its back. Its huge hand wrapped around him and pulled him free, preparing to crush him. "_MASTER!" _she screamed and shifted her hand from the creature's chest to its arm. _"ANGELIC SOUL BOMB!"_ she shouted and with a surge of pure white energy, the blast shattered the thing's arm and freeing Jago. _"I'm sorry Master" _Lamb said sadly and she closed her eyes, knowing that now she must die.

_"LAMB! NO!" _ said Jago and he swam back towards them, jabbing his khukuri into the thing's remaining arm, trying to hack Lamb free. It was hopeless; Lamb was unconscious, he was almost out of air and he just couldn't create enough force underwater to hack through its arm. He sighed inwardly. Well, if Lamb was going to die, so was her. Just then, there was a loud splash from above and a new, rapidly descending pillar of bubbles dived towards them. Lind had arrived. She held her halberd in front of her and speared the living statue through its back, the blade passing straight through it and out of its chest. The monster released Lamb and tried to turn, reaching around to grasp at Lind. However, Cool Mint and Spear Mint tackled the creature's remaining arm and forced it away from their Mistress.

"_JAGO! QUICKLY! TAKE LAMB AND GO! WE CAN HANDLE THIS MOTHERFUCKER!" _Jago didn't need telling twice. He pulled his knife free and grabbed Lamb around the waist, hauling her towards the surface. He was nearly there but it was getting difficult. Lamb had used most of her strength as well as the ambient energy to free Jago and as such, she was now unconscious. Worse though, were her wings. Even for an angel, they were extraordinarily beautiful but underwater, they had become saturated and now they weighed more than both Jago and Lamb combined. They were dragging them back down. Jago swam desperately, trying to reach the surface. His vision was dimming. His lungs burned. He would drown too. And then he felt a pair of strong hands wrap around both him and Lamb and looked around to see Damascus in her devil form holding, the pair of them.

"_Why do you have to be so much trouble?"_ she asked with a grin and with a single beat of her leathery, purple wings, they shot upwards and breached the surface. Jago gasped for air and then, still holding onto Lamb, they struck out towards the overturned Toyboata. Upon reaching the truck, Jago hefted Lamb aboard the vehicle.

"Lamb? Astrakhan Lamb, can you hear me?" he asked. He gently tapped her face a few times and pinched her nose. Suddenly she reared up, gasping and clutching at Jago.

"Master?" she managed.

"It's ok, I'm here!" he said and she smiled before turning over to cough up water. "Glad to see you made it lass" he said.

"Glad to have made it" she said. Jago glanced around.

"Where's Lind?" he asked.

"Present" she said, surfacing beside the truck, her angels on either side of her.

"Ah, Добре, Добре" he said. He looked over at the capsized hydrofoil and spotted a rescue boat that was making its way over from it to them. "Right. Damascus, I need you to jury rig a camouflage spell in the next thirty seconds. Think you can manage that?" She nodded. "Good. Now Lind, tell me something: what the Hell just tried to kill Lamb?"

**Authors Note: thank you to everyone who has read this far, you are wonderful people! I'm sorry it took so long to upload, my computer got some sort of virus that actually attacked by Norton sercurity and a scan with AVG revealed that it had somehow infected my Archfall word doc. Luckily, I send off half chapters to my brother to get reviewed and so I was able to save the first half. Will try to get back on uploading a chapter every week or so ASAP, so long as my coursework dosen't kill me first! I would dearly like some reviews (you can either create a free account if you don't have one or you can even do it a guest) but no worries. Thank you and goodnight!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Juggernaut and Jupiter**

"That thing that attacked Jago was what we call an Unkillable" said Lind. Following the crash, Keiichi had won while it was ruled that both Toshiyuki's driver and Jago had been at fault during the accident and so, they had both been disqualified. As such, Toshiyuki was allowed to keep his Ferrari but had lost his collection of antique motorcycles. Jago meanwhile, was just happy that they had all survived, although being able to keep his Unimog was a nice bonus. After returning to the temple however, he had insisted that Lind explain exactly what had attacked them.

"What's an Unkillable?" asked Keiichi.

"A very old kind of warrior; a Dreadnaught class combat golem" said Lind. "Centuries ago, Heaven used a series of living statues as the bulk of their workforce, called golems. You have to realise that this is before we had properly established the contract system with Earth and so little energy flowing between the two that we were actually at risk of dying out. Golems were meant to help solve the problem by freeing up goddesses from jobs that would usually require the use of magic".

"And what exactly is a golem?"

"A golem is what you might call an automaton" said Skuld. "Basically a robot but without the mechanical bits. What they basically consisted of was a clay outer shell, filled with magically enchanted fire and they were controlled by inserting a clay disk into a slot in their foreheads, with the required runes for the task they had to complete".

"Well that doesn't sound too bad" said Keiichi.

"Excuse me?" said Jago, pointing at the huge purple bruises that circled Lamb's neck. "Lamb and I were nearly killed by that thing, so don't you tell me that "it isn't too bad"!" He turned away and went back to drying Lamb's wings with a hairdryer. It may have been more than an hour since the attack but her's were much larger than those of either of the Mint Sisters which in turn meant that they were still soaked through.

"He's right you know Keiichi" said Lind. "Golems weren't just workers; this one was a soldier and a very nasty one at that. It was lucky that I arrived when I did because if not, would have killed them for sure". Keiichi rubbed his head looking sheepish.

"Sorry" he said. "But, you beat it right? It's not coming back?" Lind shook her head.

"Not likely. The Dreadnaught class were designed to be unbeatable. I may have disabled it but they were designed so that even if they were completely destroyed, they could repair themselves within a few hours".

"How do you know all of this?" asked Peorth. "Besides, I thought that the all decommissioned so what on Earth is one doing here?" Lind shrugged.

"To answer your first question Peorth, it was my job to know of any threats that there might be to Heaven and when we discovered that it was possible for high ranking demons to hack golems and turn them against us, they were put on the Valkyrie blacklist. In fact, the Valkyries were actually created just in case something like that did actually happen. As to your second question; not all of Dreadnaughts were recovered during the decommissioning, specifically those that were used to protect Avalon".

"What's Avalon?" Keiichi asked.

"It is- was an island that we used as a base here on Earth" said Belldandy. "It was abandoned in a hurry long ago and it sank. You may have heard of it, I think humans call it Atlantis".

"Yes, well this is all very fascinating" said Damascus, "but tell me this; what are we going to do?" She turned to Lind. "Do you think it would be possible for us to destroy this thing? I know you said it was unkillable but it must have some way to defeat it". Lind shook her head.

"If I had access to my full powers then I might be able to put it out of action for a few weeks maybe, but as it stands, none of us have the power to defeat something like that. Not on land anyway".

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Jago. "Should we leg it one? Give me a couple of hours and I can have my plane ready and I can get us all out of here. I know somewhere we could be safe".

"That won't work" said Lind. "Golems are juggernauts, once they have been given a task, they won't stop until they complete it so if you run, it _will _track you down and it _will_ kill you. Even if you went to the other side of the world then it would catch you eventually".

"Ah. So running off to Bulgaria isn't an option".

"There's something else you need to consider though: it's you that it wants. Or at least, your angels. That would be the only reason that it would attack your boat but leave Keiichi and Belldandy's alone, even though they were first".

"Ok, I suppose that makes sense. So what are we going to do?"

"I have an idea" said Lamb.

"What would that be?" asked Lind.

"Well if it's after us and we can't escape it in this world, why not move to another one?"

"You've lost me".

"Simple: Master, Damascus and I take sanctuary in Heaven".

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_At the bottom of the bay the golem lay, its body in ruins. It had been so close. Bad timing had meant that the Archangel was the only one that it had been able to attack but it hadn't mattered: she was the one that its Master had specified must die. It had nearly succeeded too, dragging her to the bottom of the sea and almost drowning her. Even when Twoarchs himself had attacked, it had mattered little. However, Lind's surprise attack had managed to free the Arch and with her Master's assistance, she had escaped. Worse, Lind's meddlesome angles had used a combat spell that had shattered the golem's ceramic body and allowed them to escape as well. However, now it was time for another attempt. Pieces of its body were already beginning to reattach themselves. It was now only a matter of time before it would attack again. _

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"What do you mean take sanctuary in Heaven?" said Urd. "In case you've forgotten this, but we're stuck here! None of us can get in or out of this realm, plus it would be incredibly difficult for a human to make it into Heaven under normal circumstances, never mind now! So how do you suggest that you achieve this miracle?"

"Simple" said Lamb. "Emergency Combat Gate Transfers. We simply have to locate another gate and reprogram it so that its destination is set to Heaven rather than its usual spot". Her statement was met by looks like she had just said the most stupid thing ever.

"ARE YOU MAD!" was the general consensus.

"Do you have any idea how difficult that would be?" asked Peorth. "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to hack a Gate? Never mind that we would never be able to use it! We don't even know where we could find a gate!" Lamb gave a mischievous grin.

"You may not. But I DO!"

"What?" Lamb tapped the side of her head.

"It was something that my Mistress was working on. In the event of an emergency like the Lord of Terror incident, it was decided that we should try and find a way in which we could rapidly deploy the Valkyries to Earth if Bifrost was damaged again. As part of that, I memorised all of the locations and hacking signals of the Gates. All we need to do is find a Gate, hack it and then we can make our escape". Stunned silence.

"How? The Hell? Did you manage that?" asked Lind. "Besides, I thought all of your memories were sealed, so how can you know that at all?" Lamb opened her mouth to speak and then stopped. She scratched her head.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure myself" she said. "It's almost like a part of my brain was suddenly unlocked".

"You remember anything else?" asked Jago. "No wait… Scratch that, we'll talk about it later. Right now, tell us what we need to do in order to do this Gate thing".

"Ok" said Lamb. "Skuld, you're a computer wizard right?" Skuld nodded. "Good, I'm going to need your help to cannibalise a computer to hack the Gate. Peorth, Urd, Belldandy; I need you to be ready to summon a Gate. It doesn't matter which, just a Gate. Damascus, if you could help them with the spell, that would be useful".

"What about the rest of us?" asked Saga.

"Is there any way in which we can help?" asked Eir. Lamb shook her head.

"Not really" said Lamb. "I'm sorry".

"I think we might NEED to help" said Lind, stiffening slightly. "I can feel the Unkillable. It's fixed itself and it's on its way here". Jago grinned.

"Right let's get cracking!" he said. "I grab my shotgun and I'll-"

"No Master" said Lamb, her voice becoming firm. "I will not let you fight".

"What?"

"I almost lost you today because of my weakness. I have no intention of letting you fight".

"Try and stop me!" he said and turned to leave.

"Very well" she said sadly and raised a hand. "AEGIS SHIELD!" she shouted and a wall of energy shot forward, encircling Jago and trapping him within itself.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL!" Jago shouted. "LET ME OUT!" he said, banging his fist against the wall of energy.

"I'm sorry Master but I can't risk you being injured. For now, you must stay inside". She turned sadly towards the others. "We had better get on. We don't have much time".

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Chrono and Heart of Stirling Silver stood atop the roof of the main temple building, looking out across the city. In the distance, they could see a small chain of fires indicating the progress of the Unkillable towards them. Occasionally, there would be a distant crash as the golem walked straight through a building. They would clench their fists in anger at this but they had been forbidden by Lind to attack the creature, at least until it actually arrived. Technically speaking as Lind was no longer a Valkyrie, she couldn't actually order Chrono to do anything. However, she was still her mentor and despite Lind's loss of rank, Chrono still had the deepest respect for her fighting skill and tactical ability which in turn lead her to follow her orders. But she still disliked this; having to wait while the enemy approached, rather than attacking it now and defeating it before it ever reached the temple. She turned when she heard grunting and saw Bob pulling himself up and onto the roof. She frowned at his cloths; Combat 95's with an oversized helmet and boots, his new khukuri on one hip and his brother's shotgun across his back.

"You shouldn't be fighting" she said. "That thing could easily kill you". Bob shrugged.

"I know" he said, "but I'm still going to fight".

"I could stop you".

"You could try! But that this is coming after my brother and his girl's. If you think that I'm just going to stand back and let them get hurt then you've got another thing coming!" Chrono nodded and sighed.

"You really would die for him, wouldn't you?" He nodded. She leaned forward and kissed him on the left cheek, while her angel did the same on his right.

"You really are daft aren't you" she said as he stood blushing and rubbing his cheek. "Don't worry; I won't let anything happen to either you or your brother".

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Rain was falling when the golem arrived. It had left a trail of destruction as it crossed the city, punching through buildings and flattening cars. A police blockade had tried to stop it but the bullets had barely even chipped its skin before it flattened the roadblock beneath its huge clay feet. And now, it was here. It looked up at the sign that hung from the arch that hung from the top of the gateway and then with a step, its head tore through it, shattering the thin wood and tile of the arch and entering the courtyard. It looked around; seeking the ones it had been sent to kill. With a crash and an explosion Banpei launched an attack on the huge automaton, pounding its shell with rockets. A ragged cheer came from the roof where the temples defenders were stationed.

"Looks like we got the bastard!" said Bob.

"Yeah!" said Keiichi. "Banpei sure showed that Unkillable!" he said but Lind frowned.

"No. It hasn't even scratched it". As she said that, the golem stepped out of the smoke, a few slightly charred sections marking the spots where the rockets had hit. With surprising speed, crossed the courtyard to the smaller robot and with a sweep of its huge left arm, swatted him away, and shattering him in the process.

"Well, so much for that plan" said Chrono. "Eir, Saga? You ready?" The twins nodded, hefting their cutlasses. All three angels were now also carrying swords and grinned in anticipation. The six of them leapt from the roof and charged forwards, swinging their weapons as they went. They knew that there was a fair chance that they would be killed but they didn't care; they had to give Jago and the Archs time to escape.

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Jago pounded at the inside of the protective sphere, trying desperately to break though the protective spell. Damascus and Lamb came sidling over to him, both looking guilty.

"ASTRAKHAN LAMB! YOU LET ME OUT OF HERE THIS SECOND!" roared Jago. "IF YOU DON'T THEN I WILL FORCE MY WAY OUT OF THIS THING AND WHEN I DO, THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!" Lamb shook her head sadly.

"I can't do that Master; if I were to let you out then you would undoubtedly try and fight that thing and if you do, you will almost certainly be killed. And as to breaking out of that sphere, it's unlikely: Aegis Shield is the most powerful combat defence spell. Not even Lind could penetrate that field". She turned away, to hide her face from her Master as he turned to Damascus.

"WHAT ABOUT YOU? CAN'T GET ME OUT?" Damascus also shook her head.

"Master, listen. While I believe that Lamb was wrong to stop you from fighting, it would take too long for me break the spell. That golem would be here before I could release you". A phenomenal crash echoed across the temple grounds, marking Banpei's destruction. "We had better hurry" Damascus said to Lamb, who nodded and turned to Skuld.

"Is the hacking equipment ready?" Skuld was silent for a moment and then gave thumbs up.

"All set" she said. "All we need is to summon a Gate and then we'll be ready to hack it". Lamb nodded and headed across the yard towards where the other goddesses had gathered. Jago, still furious, followed by rolling his prison like a giant hamster ball with Damascus close behind.

"Is everyone ready?" Lamb nodded. Silence. Just nods. "Good; let's summon a gate".

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Eir and Saga summersaulted over the head of the golem, slicing at it as they went. Their swords bit deeply into the monsters head, leaving deep gashes in the clay. However the golem didn't stop, just continuing on its path towards the rear of the temple grounds. Chrono charged forwards, striking the golem in the midriff with her poleaxe, easily punching through the hardened clay while her angel, having discarded her human disguise, dove down from above, driving her blade in deep between the machines shoulder blades. The golem simply reached down with one hand and grasped hold of Chrono's axe before using its other arm to swat the young Valkyrie aside.

"Mistress!" her angel shouted, releasing her grip on the sword and beginning to pound the back of the golems head with her fists, using her Valkyrie strength to crush the rear of its dome. However, to her dismay the golems skull simply started to reform as fast as she could pound it and distracted as she was with her attack, she failed to see the golem's arm reach around behind itself until it was too late to escape. Fingers as thick as her wrist wrapped themselves around her and with no apparent effort; she was hauled off the back of the golem's head and tossed aside.

"This isn't working!" said Saga, watching as the golem yanked Chrono's axe free of its midsection and casually tossed it aside.

"Perhaps a change of tactics?" said Eir and they sent a synchronized Diamond Express Force Cut towards the golem. The spell smashed against the machine and left a deep cut in its hide. However, this didn't seem to do much and without so much as a backward glance, the golem unceremoniously stepped over Chrono's prone form and continued on its way.

"No good!" said Eir. "Maybe if we use more power?" Saga nodded and they called their angels to them and the quartet sent a four-times-synchronized Diamond Express Force Cut into the great machine's back. The blow shattered the golems back, exposing the glowing fire of its insides and it fell to its knees.

"Alright!" The twins high-fived one another but their joy was short lived as the golem restored itself and then turned to face them. The golems face was set into just one expression: a horrifying, frowning leer that never changed. However, the young goddesses could have sworn that just for a second, a new expression was written across its face. It had looked angry.

"Well done!" said Mara, landing silently behind the quartet. "Now you've pissed it off!" She raised one hand, summoning a ball of dark lightning. "Looks like it's up to the demon to fix this problem!" she said and hurled the lightning ball towards the automaton. It struck the machine full in the chest and with an explosion, the golem was torn apart. Mara blinked. "Well I'll be… I think I just killed that thing!" She started to laugh. "I can't believe it! I fucking killed that thing!" She bellowed with laughter, until she felt her devil, Beautiful Chaos tap her on the shoulder.

"Er, Mistress?" she said and pointed towards the spot where the golem had been standing. And now was again. In less than thirty seconds, it had completely reformed itself. Mara's face fell.

"Oh you are shitting me!" she said and then summoned her sword with a grunt. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to finish this the old fashioned way!" She turned towards the goddesses and their angels as Beautiful Chaos summoned her own sword. "You girls coming?" she said and without another word, she charged forward.

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Lind, the Mint Sisters, Keiichi and Bob were still all on the roof.

"Can't we help yet?" asked Bob, grasping the shotgun tightly in his hands. Lind shook her head.

"Not yet. You know the plan; we have to give as much time for Lamb to get them out of here". Bob gritted his teeth and nodded, watching as Mara's sword sliced cleanly thought he golem's right arm and when wincing in sympathy as a huge clay foot came up and she was booted skywards. Keiichi on the other hand was sweating profusely, his hands shaking as they gripped a second shotgun that they had found stashed away in Jago's cellar. He gulped. Like most Japanese men, he had never even held a gun, much less used one and he was clearly nervous. Bob reached across and grasped the older man by the shoulder.

"You alright?" Keiichi nodded. "Don't worry" said Bob. "You cover me, I'll cover you and when we run out of ammo, we run like Hell, ok?" Keiichi nodded again.

"Ok". Lind tapped them both on the shoulder.

"Gentlemen, time for you two to become heroes!" she said, indicating that the golem had finally dispatched the remaining defenders. Bob grinned and with a practiced motion, he flicked off the safety on the gun and leapt down from the roof. Keiichi gave one final gulp. Safety off. Round chambered. Time to face the music.

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The sound of shotgun blasts echoed across the rear of the courtyard. Belldandy glanced worriedly in the direction of the sound, knowing that it meant that her beloved Keiichi was now in the thick of the fighting. For a moment, she was tempted to leave the circle and join them but she dismissed it quickly, turning back towards the group. The circle crackled with energy as the combined power of three goddesses, four angels and a devil all came together to draw the Gate out of the ether.

"Here she comes!" said World of Elegance, looking excited. It was true; a shadowy outline was beginning to materialise within the ring.

"Stay focused!" said Lamb. "We only need a few more minutes and the Gate will be ready". She turned briefly to Skuld and Noble Scarlet who had set up their computer next to the ring. "I hope you two are ready" she said. They nodded.

"Just waiting on you" said Skuld. At that moment, the sound of shots ended.

"Looks like Bob and Keiichi are out of ammo" said Jago. "Who's left?"

"Just one person" said Holybell. "Lind".

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"I'm out! Reloading!" cried Bob, ducking behind the corner of the house. He tugged a handful of solid copper slugs from his pocket and started slotting them into the base of the Homeland 37 he was carrying while Keiichi stood guard, waiting for the appearance of the golem. Within seconds it rounded the corner and he shouldered his own weapon, pumping the slide to eject the spent casing and chamber the next round.

"Better hurry!" he said to Bob and aimed down the barrel. He fired, pumped the gun, fired again. The golem staggered backward as the solid copper slugs slammed into its chest and then out through its back. It shook itself and then ploughed forward, making straight for Keiichi. He fired again, pumped the shotgun and then tried again only to hear that most dreaded of sounds: the Dead Man's Click. "OH SHIIIIIIT!" he swore and backpedalled rapidly, shaking as he tried to slot new shells into the gun. The golem was almost on top of him, just coming around the corner of the house when Bod sprang up, his gun fully reloaded and he jammed the barrel hard against the side of one of the golem's knees. He pulled the trigger and the leg shattered, forcing the huge man-machine to collapse. He jumped over the fallen giant, slammed the shotgun against the other knee and fired again, removing the other leg. He ran back to Keiichi and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, guns at the ready. "You alright?" Keiichi asked.

"Yeah" said Bob, panting a little from the adrenaline. "How may slugs you got left?" Keiichi glanced down at the gun.

"Maybe… Four? How about you?" Bob shrugged.

"Don't know. Maybe three". He rolled his shoulders and nodded towards the golem which had now reformed its legs and had pulled itself back onto its feet. "If we aim for its knees then we may be able to slow it down a little longer". Keiichi nodded and they fired together, blowing both of the golem's legs off. They managed it twice more. Then Bob's gun clicked empty. "FUCK!" he sore and threw aside his shotgun, pulling his khukuri from its sheath. "You run" he said, "I'll hold it back!" Keiichi shook his head.

"Nothing doing" he said. "Jago is my friend, as are Lamb and Damascus. And you". Bob gave him a queer look and then grinned.

"You know, that's the first time for years that someone has said that to me!" he said with a grin. Keiichi grinned back and fired his last shell before reversing the gun, ready to use it as a club. "Ready Bob?" Bob nodded. He raised his blade. A hand clapped down on each of their shoulders. They both turned to see Lind stood behind them, looking stern in her full Valkyrie uniform, her angels close behind her in their unmasked form.

"You two have done enough" she said. "We'll take it from here". The two men nodded and started running back towards the regroup point, just outside Jago's house. Lind stood before the Unkillable, watching as it approached. It stopped just before her and looked down, lighting up her face with its glowing orange light. "I've fought you before" she said. "Not just in the bay, but before then. Do you remember? Back when I was a trainee? We fought each other after you had been infected by a demon. I won that fight didn't I? I can even remember your name; you were called Juggernaut, the Unstoppable. The last of the Unkillables. Do you remember?" The golem's face remained impassive but she could have sworn that just for a second, she could have sworn that one of its eyes dimmed, almost like it winked at her. She gave grim smile. "I see that you do, don't you Juggernaut? Well, I know why you're here. You're here to kill Jago and the Archs aren't you?" Again, the golem gave a wink. Lind nodded. "Well then, I suppose that means you're going to have to kill me too. Then again, I suppose that was the plan, wasn't it?" A third wink. Lind nodded and then summoned her halberd. "Well then, I suppose this means that I will have to kill you first" she said. She lowered herself into a fighter's pose, her blade raised and ready, her angels at the ready. She grinned. "I suppose that there will be never be a better chance for me to say this: YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

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The Gate was almost ready. It would only be about another twenty seconds and they would be ready to escape. A series of loud crashes indicated that Lind had finally got to grips with the golem and was fighting hard to drive it back. They didn't have long. But they didn't need it. Just a few more seconds. Almost… Almost! Then the unthinkable happened; Lind was beaten. The golem's fist connected hard with her chest and she was sent sailing across the courtyard, right into the middle of the ring. And she collided hard with the Gate.

"NO!" cried Lamb but it was too late. The collision not only shattered the concentration of those who were working to summon the Gate but by displacing the Gate in the middle of a summoning, she instantly dematerialised, leaving them in a useless summoning circle, Lind smoking in the middle as the pent up magical energy coursed through her. They had failed. Reluctantly, they turned towards the approaching golem. It was holding one of the Mint Sisters in each hand, both unconscious as the magical energy burned through them in the same way as it had just done through their Mistress. It threw down the pair and kicked them cruelly aside before stepping forward and raising its hand, one finger extended, pointing. Pointing at Jago.

"You gonna let me out now?" Jago asked. Lamb shook her head.

"Nothing doing" she said. "It wants you, not us". She turned to the others. "I don't expect you to-"she began but Gorgeous Rose stopped her.

"We all agreed to protect you and Jago; we're not going to give up now". Lamb nodded with a grim smile.

"Thank you, all of you" she said. She turned back towards the golem. "Well then, let's see if we can't at least slow this bastard down".

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The fight lasted a pitifully short time. Spells were next to useless against this kind of enemy, meaning that Damascus was the first to fall, swatted unconscious with a backhanded swing. Meanwhile, the goddesses and their angels could barely pull together enough power for a single combat spell between them, meaning that that they now had to fight hand-to-hand. Belldandy, Holybell, Urd, World of Elegance, Peorth, Gorgeous Rose; all beaten down by the unstoppable power of Juggernaut. Finally, only one remained. Astrakhan Lamb. Her strength was unmatched in all of Heaven and Hell. In single combat, there was no-one who could defeat the strength of the Praetorian Arch. But even she was no match for this machine of fire and earth. After what seemed like hours of fighting, she was failing. With an almost lazy swipe, the golem knocked her aside, leaving her broken and crumpled on the ground. Desperately, Jago beat his fists against the shield.

"Lamb! Listen! You have to let me out! I can help you! If I don't, you'll die!" Lamb look back across her shoulder at him and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Master but I can't do that. I must protect you, even if it costs me my life". She gave her great, blood spattered wings a flick to help her to her feet. She had one remaining weapon that might be enough to defeat the Unkillable. Her Arch-wings hadn't been enough to defeat this monster. But perhaps…..? She made her decision. Archprime. She turned back towards Jago and she gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry Master. I never meant for things to happen like this. I have brought such sadness to you and our friends. I just hope that you can forgive me".

"Forgive you?" asked Jago, confused. "Forgive you for what?" Lamb simply turned away. "Lamb? What are you doing?" said Jago, a warning tone in his voice. Lamb ignored him; she had to hurry. She spread her wings. She cleared her mind. She transformed. A pulsing golden-white energy seemed to come from nowhere, pouring into the Archangel, filling her with unstoppable power. Before his eyes, Jago watched his beloved Lamb change. She grew taller, her wings even wider. Her cloths changed from a simple cloth wrap to a full armoured doublet, made of iron and embossed with palladium and her hair was covered by a massive winged helmet, above which a halo burned. And in her right hand, she grasped a sword. But unlike any sword that would be found on Earth. It had a blade nearly a foot wide and it totalled nearly ten foot in length, tapering to a point that wasn't so much a spike as more a third blade. This was the most powerful form of an Arch: Archprime. In this form, an Arch became the physical embodiment of her specialisation. For a short while, they were unstoppable. But this came at a price: it took so much energy to maintain that even a few minutes in this form was enough to drain her energy reserves, possibly enough to kill her. The ultimate weapon, to do or die by. And now Lamb had unleashed it. "LAMB NO!" said Jago. He could feel the phenomenal power through her; the power to shatter worlds and burn out stars. But he could also feel her energy levels falling. His precious angel would be dead in less than a minute.

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Lamb shot forward, swinging her blade overhand and hacking through the golem's body. The man-machine's torso shattered, shearing the body into two halves. She then grabbed a hold of the upper half of the golem as it struggled to reform itself and with a single beat of her now hundred foot wings, she bore them both skyward, dematerialising her falchion as she went. Fifty seconds of power left.

Jago watched as the two roared skyward, pounding hard against the aegis shield. And they really were roaring. On the first beat of her wings, she had put them both past Mach three and they were still accelerating. But she was burning through her energy stores at a phenomenal rate. He had no choice, Jago would have to bite the bullet and save her. He closed his eyes and focussed his mind, searching for that one thing he feared most, that inner monster. As he searched him out, Jago slipped one hand into his pocket and removed a set of brass knuckles. He would need them, now that he had fourty seconds so save her.

Lamb and the golem were now far above the surface of the world, so high that the sky was beginning to dim to black. Faint stars shone through the clouds as they continued to climb. It wasn't until they had breached the ionosphere that Lamb slammed her wings open, slowing the pair instantly from well past the Mach to a dead stop. She spun rapidly and then with a swift overarm movement, she hurled the golem back down towards the Earth. She summoned her falchion and then counted to five before diving towards the ground, timing it so that she would strike the golem just as it hit the ground. She was sure of it; even an Unkillable would be totally destroyed after such an attack. True, it would probably kill her too but it wouldn't matter; she would have saved her Master. Thirty seconds.

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_The golem had now reformed. Not that it mattered much; it would soon shatter after a four-hundred mile drop from the sky. It could see the Arch diving towards it, blade held out in front of her so that it superheated as it sliced through the thin upper atmosphere. While the golem knew that it would probably be able to survive the impact with the ground, there was no possible way that it would survive that blade as well. There was only one thing for it. It would have to use the Nemea. Summoning all of its eternal power, Juggernaut raised its right arm. Powerful energy began to swirl around the hand, morphing it into a stubby cannon. The inside glowed with orange soul-fire and it aimed the weapon straight at Lamb. The weapon would fire just before they hit the ground and between the impact and the blast, the Archangel would be destroyed. There would only be one chance but one chance was all it needed. Golems never missed._

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Lamb could see the weapon that the golem had summoned: the Nemea gun. It would fire a pure burst of the golem's soul-fire energy, severely depleting its energy reserves but also killing her in the process. It wouldn't matter; her attack would strike the monster even if it did kill her and the combined hit would be enough to destroy the monstrosity. Ten seconds.

Lind was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. Mostly pain. The deep ache that came from the overuse of boosters, as each time one was used, every single muscle in her body was strained to its maximum extent. She pulled herself into a sitting position, fighting back waves of nausea as she went. She checked her shoulder boosters, just to be sure how many she had used. Five. No wonder she felt terrible! If she had used that last one, it would have been possible for her muscles to be pulled off her bones. It probably wouldn't have killed her but it was likely that she would never have been able to walk unaided, much less fight. Luckily, it hadn't come to that. She looked across to where her angels were lying, still unconscious but otherwise unharmed. Then she realised what had happened, what she had done! She had broken the circle and the Gate had been lost! She gave a strangled gasp as she folded up, knowing that she had failed; because of her, Jago and the Archs were now dead.

"Lind!" She turned blearily towards the shout and saw Skuld and Noble Scarlet making their way across the courtyard towards her, from where they had been hiding. "Lind, are you ok?" said Skuld as she knelt beside Lind, offering herself as support. Lind nodded and used Skuld to pull herself back onto her feet.

"What happened?" she said. "I mean, after the circle was broken?"

"Big Sis made me hide while they tried to stop the Unkillable. They-"she paused and gulped, before continuing; "They were beaten badly. Only Lamb stood any chance against that thing and then she-". She gulped again. "She DID something, sort of changed, became more powerful somehow". Lind's head jerked up.

"What?! You mean she went Prime? Where is she?" Skuld simply pointed up and sure enough, down were coming two burning shapes that were descending rapidly towards them, the second, larger shape catching up rapidly with the first. Lind gave a grim look.

"Oh Lamb! Why a suicide attack?" she whispered, a tear coming to her eye. She knew that when the two collided, there would be no chance of survival for either of them. However, just then, something else caught her attention. She glanced back down, towards Jago, still trapped within the Aegis Shield. However, he too was changing. She could sense something about him; something that she had sensed once from him before, back at Crash Palace. His eyes opened. To her horror, she realised that they were red. He raised a fist. "GET DOWN!" shouted Lind, wrapping herself around Skuld and Noble Scarlet as Jago's fist slammed forward, punching through Aegis and shattering it like glass. At the same moment, Juggernaut and Astrakhan Lamb slammed into the ground, she landing on top of him and between them, creating a crater almost three hundred feet deep. However, Lind could sense that somehow Lamb had survived and so, she released Skuld and Noble Scarlet and turned her attention to Jago. "Jago?" she asked nervously. He was stood, silent, eyes closed and arms folded. "Jago?" she asked again, and her slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. They were still red and sent a shudder through Lind's body. And then he spoke, in a voice as dark and evil as Hild's heart.

"No. I'm not Jago, Lind. In fact, you may call me… Papa Jupiter".

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Lamb knew that she had less than ten seconds before she burned through her entire energy supply. Luckily, that was just enough time to kill that thing. She was closing fast, looking straight down the barrel of the Nemea gun. Less five seconds to go. She flicked her blade forward slightly and aimed it straight for the golem's chest. There was no way she could miss. No way could that it miss either. Then she felt it; something on the ground that was emitting huge amounts of energy. She glanced downward and watched in horror as Jago shattered her Aegis shield. How could he? There was no way he was strong enough! But that didn't matter now; she still had a duty to protect her Master. She turned her attention back to the golem but knew she was too late as the moments loss of concentration meant her blade was now out of alignment, with no hope of repositioning before the crash. There was only one thing to do: she must survive! Milliseconds before her energy store was burned through, she snapped open her wings, shutting down her Archprime powers and using them as airbrakes to slow her descent. Then she realised it; she had forgotten the golem!

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_Juggernaut had been distracted by the escape of Twoarchs. It had lost its aim. It turned back towards the falling angel, seeing her change back into her usual form. She was weak but now, she would now probably survive and there wasn't enough time to set up a proper shot. It would have to be a snap shot. But where? Then I was its mark as she snapped open her wings. The arm came up. It fired the Nemea gun. _

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The blast caught Lamb in the centre of her left wing, burning through feather, skin, muscle and bone. She screamed as the pure burst of soul-fire tore through her and she was forced to fold what was left of her wings back, her speed increasing once more. She collided bodily with the golem and together, they slammed into the cold, hard ground. The golem shattered against her and she continued down, ploughing face first into the earth. Three hundred feet straight into the ground she travelled. Three hundred feet, deep into the bedrock. At last, after what seemed like an age, she came to rest deep in the earth. She lay still for several moments. Then with a gasp, she pulled herself up. She was battered, bruised and bleeding. Tentatively, she reached out and touched the torn, bleeding stump of her left wing and gasped as agony coursed through her. She was weak and she was injured, but somehow she had survived. The pain was proof of that. With some difficulty she started to haul herself out of the crater, hand over hand, until she reached the surface. With one final gasp, she pulled herself free of the crater...

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And then she screamed, as huge hand reached down and dragged her to her feet by her hair. Through tear stained eyes, she stared right into the face of the Unkillable. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn it was smiling. Its spare hand was raised and began to morph itself into another Nemea gun. Lamb looked across the courtyard, seeing Lind, Skuld and Noble Scarlet crouched together, knowing that they were helpless to help her. The golem saw her look and gave what looked like a wink, a slight dimming of one eye that indicted that it was aware of what Lamb was looking at. And then she realised something; the monster wasn't just here to kill her or Damascus or even her Master. It was here to kill Lind as well. In a last act of defiance, she released hold of her hair and she swung her fist hard, punching clean through the golem's chest and out of the other side. The golem looked down and then without so much as a second glance, it raised its hand and placed the Nemea against Lamb's head. She could feel the heat from the weapon beginning to crisp her hair and dry her skin. She shut her eyes. There was nothing left that she could do. She had failed. She would die….

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Jago's shoulder thumped hard into the golem's right hand side. The huge man-machine was sent stumbling back, its entire right arm shattered. The force of the blow was enough make the monstrosity drop Lamb and take several steps back, trying to recover from the blow. With barely a sound, Jago forced his dislocated arm back into its socket and then he stood, legs apart, between the golem and the angel.

"Master!" said Lamb, her voice full of a combination of love, concern and admiration. But wait, no! That wasn't her Master! She could sense that there was something different here. Only once had she ever felt this from this man, the man she loved and called Master. This man had become Papa Jupiter. She was slowly blacking out but as she did so, she saw Jupiter step forward, his hands raised in a fighter's pose. There was no way that Jago could fight a golem on his own. But what about Jupiter? Was he strong enough?

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Papa Jupiter stepped forward, his brass knuckled hands raised. The golem was busy reforming its arm but now there was something off about it. It was… backing away. It looked scared. Jupiter grinned.

"Well?" he said, stepping forward and forcing the golem back. "I thought you were supposed to be some sort of badass monster-beast. So come on! Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!" He took another step forward and the golem raised its Nemea gun. With a lightning quick strike, Jupiter slammed his fist hard into the barrel of the gun, shattering it up to elbow. "Now, now! No funny business!" Jupiter said. "If you want to fight me, you fight me with your own two hands". He stepped forward and swung his fist hard into the golem's stomach. The blow shattered the hard plates that made up the golem's abdomen and forced it back. However, unlike those damages that were caused by the others, Jupiter's hits appeared to be permanent. Whether this was due to the Unkillable's weakened state or from Jago's recently increased strength was unknown but it didn't matter; he was beating back the golem with nothing but his hands.

In an attempt to defend itself, the golem raised its one remaining hand and struck at the seemingly unstoppable Jupiter as he continued to rain down blows on its armoured hide. Its fist connected hard with Jupiter's face and forced him to take a step back. Jupiter laughed. "Looks like you still have some spunk left after all" he said and he grasped his nose, forcing it back into place with a snap. "Or should I say that you really have some guts? In which case, let's see what they look like!" His fist smashed into the golem's head, shattering the right side of its face. The golem took a step back, falling to one knee, its arm raised as if to ward off another blow. Jupiter grinned. "What? Is that all you've got?" He spat and swatted aside the golem's arm and grasped it by the shoulder. He raised his fist. "I hope you have said your prayers. For now, you will pay for what you have done!" He swung forward with his fist but an inch from the thing's face, his arm was stopped. He turned angrily to see Lind holding his arm.

"Enough Jago!" she said, a trickle of blood running down her face. "It's beaten! You've done enough!" Instead of a reply, Jupiter snarled and wrenched his hand free of Lind's grasp. He then turned growling to her and raised both hands. "Jago?" she said, backing away in surprise. "What are you doing?" He didn't answer, just swung a fist. She dodged and backed away. "JAGO? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he didn't reply, just continued swinging for her. She blocked, dodged, blocked again, all the time trying to talk to Jupiter. "JAGO! DON'T YOU KNOW ME? IT'S LIND!" He ignored her and just kept coming, raining blows. Lind may be strong but in her weakened state, she was no match for Jupiter. With a final blow, he beat her defences down and then reached forward, grasping her by her throat, lifting her to his eye level. She clapped feebly at his arm, gasping for air. "Jago!" she gasped. "Jago!" and then she looked into his eyes, hoping to see something of the man she loved. But there was nothing in those red irises except the will to kill. "Please Jago!" she gasped, still hoping. But nothing. "Please…. Jupiter". Then she saw it; the spark of recognition. The hand a round her throat became lax and she was dropped into a crumpled heap on the floor. She gasped for air and looked up to see Jupiter's eyes clearing from red to Jago's brown-green. The big man seemed to sag inwardly and he quickly became much less imposing.

"Wah?" he said, shaking his head as if trying to clear it of cobwebs. He looked down. "Lind? What the Hell?" He stooped, his face a mask of concern and he pulled his lover to her feet. "Are you all right?" She nodded, massaging her throat. "What the Hell was I doing?" he said but before Lind could answer, there was a mad war cry and Skuld raced forward, swinging a piece of wood as she came. "Whoa!" Jago said, backing away.

"Get away from her!" screamed Skuld. "BACK! BACK!" on her third swing, Jago caught the piece of wood and wrenched from her hands.

"What are you doing Skuld? It's just me!" Skuld looked taken back.

"But Jago, you tried to kill Lind!" Jago's eyes went wide.

"I DID WHAT!?" Skuld nodded.

"You did that thing… that thing you call Papa Jupiter. You were really scary, I mean you beat the stuffing out of that golem with nothing but your hands! But then when Lind tried to stop you, you went mental and tried to kill her!" Jago stared at her in disbelief and then turned to Lind.

"Is this true?" Lind nodded. His face fell. "Oh Lind…" Then he twigged. "Hang on a second. Did I finish beating that thing to a pulp?" They shook their heads. "Oh no…" They turned towards the golem. It was back on its feet. Heavily damaged and with a broken arm and face it may be but it was still ready to fight. In fact, now it looked pissed. Jago gulped. "Oh man. We're all in for a world of hurt".

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_If a golem was capable of feeling emotions, then it would have gone just gone from fear to anger. Where had that power come from? No human should be that strong! Certainly, no human should be capable of causing permanent damage to an Unkillable; damage that not even a fighting Arch should be able to cause! But now, it didn't matter. Due to Lind's intervention, Juggernaut had survived and the human had drained away its own power. Now it was time for it to kill the Arch and have done with it. It turned away from them and faced the fallen angel. It was weak itself but a helpless, broken winged angel would be an easy kill for one such as him. And now, without the human's power, there was no way it could be stopped. _

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Jago was already moving before the golem had finished its turn. With a roar, he leapt bodily onto the golem's back, wrapping both arms around the huge being's torso. He tightened his grip, trapping both of the golem's arms.

"Lind!" he shouted back. "It's Lamb it wants! Get her out of here!" He didn't see Lind's nod but he didn't need to; he trusted her completely. As the golem began to buck and sway, trying to break free of Jago's grip, Lind raced forward and scooped Lamb up in her arms and then went hairing off towards Jago's house. "Skuld! Toss me a bomb! The go after Lind!" Skuld threw him one of her powerful stick bombs and then followed Lind. Jago caught the bomb out of the air and in a single fluid motion, he jammed it into the gaping hole in the side of the golem's head. He released his grip and dropped to the ground, covering his head as the bomb exploded and tore a large chunk out of the golem's face. However unlike Jupiter's attacks, this damage quickly reformed and the golem rapidly turned towards Jago. Jago had backed up and drawn his khukuri, ready to fight this seemingly unstoppable beast. But as quickly as it turned to face Jago, it turned back away and it started making its way towards the cottage. Jago huffed with frustration. "This thing just doesn't give up!" he said and charged the golem again, tackling it and bore it to the ground, stabbing repeatedly with his blade. The golem simply shrugged him off and pulled itself back up. "Now look!" Jago said, standing right in Juggernaut's way. "I'm trying to fucking kill you! So stop ignoring me and fight!" The golem stopped and looked down at him. A mountain blocked by molehill.

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_So this human wanted to die? Very well then. Juggernaut swung down with his one remaining arm, catching Jago off guard and slamming him into the ground and sending his khukuri spinning away. Jago started to pull himself back up but the golem kicked him back down and then placed a foot on his chest. Jago looked straight up into the golem's one remaining eye._

_"You're going to jam me? Not how I planned to go but I suppose there are worse ways to die. At least it will be quick". He lay back and closed his eyes. Juggernaut raised one foot, ready to stamp down. This human had been more trouble than he was worth. Perhaps if he was dead, that Arch would be so much easier to kill. It stamped down._

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"AEGIS SHIELD!" The golem's foot struck the energy shield that had been formed over the top of Jago, inches from his chest, taking both him and Juggernaut by surprise. They both looked across the courtyard to where a figure was pulling itself to her feet. It was Damascus. Her wrap was stained with black blood and she was unsteady on her feet but she was conscious. And now, she was fighting. Jago grinned and while the golem was distracted, he heaved upwards and used the Aegis to topple the giant. He bounded up, grabbing his knife as he went and joined his Archdevil where she stood.

"Nice to see you're still alive!" he said with a grin. Damascus gave a shaky smile, baring her fangs.

"Will take more than a giant clay toy to stop me!" said the devil. "However…" she said, indicating the golem, "I think we need to get out of here. That thing looks pissed". Jago nodded.

"Agreed".

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Lamb was laid out full length on the sofa, her damaged wing stretched out so that there was no weight being placed on it. She was unconscious but for now, she was stable. Lind was sat against the wall, knees drawn up, too exhausted to move. Meanwhile, Bob, Keiichi, Skuld and Noble Scarlet worked furiously to barricade the door and windows.

"How do you think he's doing?" Keiichi asked, helping to push a heavy desk hard against the main door. Bob shrugged.

"My brother? Against an unstoppable, Dreadnaught class Unkillable? I would say roughly evens". Skuld in the meantime was busy boarding up the windows.

"What do you mean evens? There's no way he's still alive! Not without those powers he was using!" She then caught herself and looked guiltily towards Lind. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure he-"but Lind waved her into silence.

"You're right Skuld. He is probably dead". She fell silent again and rested her head against her knees. To the others, she just looked tired. But in truth, she was crying. The hardest of Valkyries, weeping like a child. Bob reached over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Lind, I need your help. Could you help me-"he began but he cut himself off when she raised her head and he saw her tears. "Lind? Are you ok?" With that, she leapt to her feet, raising her fist to thump him.

"How can you ask that?! He's your brother! Show some remorse!" Bob looked confused.

"Remorse? What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? Did you see him? He jumped on the back of that thing! There's no way he could have survived!" Bob grinned.

"You're wrong Lind. I know he's still alive". Lind looked confused.

"What? How?" Bob grinned.

"Well, it's simple; Lamb is still alive too!" Within seconds, there was a loud knock at the main door.

"HEY! HEY! You guys! Let us in!" boomed Jago's voice from outside the door. Lind was at the door in the seconds.

"JAGO! Jago, is that you?" she called hopefully.

"No, it's the Eater-of-Socks!" he said sarcastically. "Now let me in! That monster will be here any second!" Lind went to start moving the furniture. But Bob stopped her.

"Jago, can you hear?" said Keiichi. "Listen, we've barricaded the door. Is there any other way for you to get in?" There was silence for a second before Jago answered.

"Alright, give me a second". There were a series of loud thumps coming from the walls and the roof and several lumps of soot fell into the fireplace. With a grunt, Jago dropped down the chimney and into the living room, closely followed by Damascus.

"This wrap is ruined!" she grumbled, trying to beat some of the soot out of it. "I'll never get this muck out!"

"Jago!" cried Lind, her face lighting up with a smile as he wiped the soot from his own. Jago smiled; stepped forward and kissed her gently on the lips, smearing both their faces with soot, making them both chuckle. "I thought you were dead for sure this time" said Lind. Jago grinned.

"Not yet. Almost. Luckily, I had some help" he said, winking towards Damascus. Then he got deadly serious. "Right, sentimental moment over, now back to business". Lind cleared her throat and nodded.

"Of course".

"Ok. Now then, how's Lamb doing?" Jago asked.

"Not good" said Noble Scarlet who had been trying to tend to older angel's wounds. "She's unconscious still and it looks like she lost a wing". Jago nodded and crossed to his angel.

"I'm not surprised she's out for the count. She burned through her entire energy stock in less than minute when she did that change thing".

"Archprime" said Lind. "It's an Arch's secret weapon. If activated, they gain access to impossibly strong powers but as you know, they also use up a lot of energy. In Lamb's case, almost enough to kill her by the looks of things". Jago nodded.

"She's a bloody fool. If she had just let me help then she wouldn't have had to do something so reckless". He knelt to inspect her wing, which had been cleanly severed by Juggernaut's Nemea gun just above the wrist joint. He leaned forward and ran a hand gently across the cut, catching a spec of pure white blood as it dripped from the wound. He grimaced. "Damascus, I need you". The devil nodded and cross to her Master, kneeling beside him.

"You want to fix her wing Master?" Jago nodded.

"Can you do it?" Damascus frowned.

"I do have a spell that could fix this but…"she said.

"Yes?"

"At the moment, I don't have the strength to fix something this bad. I mean, a severed wing on any angel is bad but for Arch, it takes a ridiculous amount of power and after the beating that I just got, I don't have the strength to help her". Jago nodded.

"I see" he said. "What about me? Do I have the strength to help?" Damascus gave him a quizzical look but leaned forward, her hand glowing a little as she did a quick san of Jago.

"Not quite you don't" she said. "But maybe together we might". Jago nodded and together, he and Damascus began to work, restoring Lamb's wing. Lind knelt beside them in order to off what little strength she had left and soon, the three of them had begun a spell that had started to restore the damaged limb. In the meantime, Bob and Keiichi had started to reload their shotguns, ramming home the heavy copper slugs while Skuld took stock of her explosives. Noble Scarlet, feeling a little superfluous, crouched beside one of the boarded up windows, peaking out through the curtains. To her horror, she saw the golem.

"Urr, guys?" she said.

"Yeah Little Red?" said Jago, not looking up from Lamb's wing.

"You're going to want to see this" she said.

"What?"

"Well, the Unkillable's here". There was a thundering crash and the whole house shook. Jago sighed.

"You couldn't have just said that?" he said. "Can you girls finish up here?" he said, indicating Lamb's now nearly repaired wing. Damascus and Lind both nodded so Jago stood and crossed to the window. Bob, Skuld and Keiichi all quickly crossed to the window and knelt beside him. Jago flicked aside the curtain and peeked out. The golem was up against the wall and was currently trying to punch its way through the solid granite. Jago sighed. "It just doesn't know when to give up" he said. "We've shot it, punched it, stabbed it, blow it up and broken it into little pieces and it still won't die! Who thought that a clay doll with a disk for a brain could be so much trouble?"

"You said it!" said Keiichi. "If only we could get at the disk!" There was silence, except for the banging of the golem's fist against the wall.

"Say that again Keiichi" said Jago.

"What? All I said was "if only we could remove the disk". Jago gave him a dumb look. And then grinned.

"KEIICHI! I LOVE YOU!" he said and he kissed him full on the lips, causing the shorter man to fall back in surprise. "Why didn't I think of this before?" said Jago, ignoring the Keiichi as he made horrible retching sounds and rubbed his lips furiously. "It's so simple! All we have to do is remove that disk and it won't be able to function!" He turned to Skuld. "Would that work?" Skuld thought for a moment and then nodded sheepishly.

"I'm ashamed that I didn't think of that beforehand but yes; removing the command disk would disable the golem".

"Good!" said Jago.

"Not good" said Lind. "That would be extremely difficult! It's located in an armoured box in the centre of its head. It would be nearly impossible to get at, never mind remove or destroyed!" But Jago just grinned.

"But what seem to have forgotten is that we DO have a way of getting at it. We only have one shot but it would be better than nothing". Lind looked confused but Jago simply turned away to speak to the others. "Listen up. I'm going to need all of you to help me now. Keiichi and Bob; you two stay here. Protect Lamb, Damascus and Lind". They both looked confused but nodded. "Good" said Jago. "Now Skuld, Noble Scarlet, come with me". Curious, the pair followed him into the kitchen. Without pause for explanation, Jago grabbed hold of the washing machine and dragged it free from the counter, revealing a hole. "You two are the only ones who I can rely on now. Noble Scarlet, this tunnel leads to the forge. I want you to go down there and start the water wheel".

"What? Why?" she asked. "What would that do for us?" Jago grinned.

"Two words lass. Drop. Hammers". Noble Scarlet looked confused for a second but then she got it.

"OH!" she said.

"Oh indeed" said Jago. "Now get going!" Without another word, Noble Scarlet disappeared into the tunnel and Jago turned to Skuld. "Now, you and I have another job. We need to lure that damn thing into the forge. Think you're up to it?" Skuld grinned.

"Is that a stupid question? I'm supposed to be training to be a Valkyrie. If I didn't risk life and limb on occasion, then there wouldn't be much point in me even trying!"

"Good!" said Jago. "So let's go! We're going back up the chimney!"

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"I hope Master knows what he's doing" Damascus said to Lind as they finished off with Lamb's wing. "He felt odd when I scanned him".

"What do you mean odd?" asked Lind, almost too exhausted to care. "He seemed a little distracted and commanding but I assumed that it was from nearly dying". Damascus shook her head.

"Not that. It was his aura I'm talking about. It wasn't any normal colour; it was black and red. What he was feeling wasn't just anger; it was pure, distilled rage!" Lind gave her a sideways look.

"So? Lamb was nearly killed. I would feel bloody furious towards that golem too, for her and Cool and Spear Mint too, if I wasn't so utterly exhausted". Damascus shook her head again.

"It wasn't the golem he was angry at. Well, it was but it wasn't just the golem. It was Lamb! He is almost angry enough to kill her!"

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Jago pulled his revolver free from its holster as he and Skuld ducked into the forge. He snapped it open, checking the chambers.

"I think it's pissed now" he said, snapping the gun closed. "Perhaps a "Skuld Bomb XL" was going a tad too far?"

"Well you said to get its attention and I did that, didn't I?" Jago grinned and ducked back outside, aimed and fired off three rounds, ducking back inside without bothering to check to see whether they hit their mark.

"How long till Noble Scarlet has the hammers ready?" he asked. As he did so, Skuld ducked outside and hurled a handful of explosives at the rapidly approaching golem. She ducked back inside and shut her eyes, contacting her angel through her mind. She was silent for a second and then she responded.

"A few minutes" she said. "Apparently, there's something wrong with the release mechanism". Jago ground his teeth but nodded.

"Fine, just tell her to hurry". He swung back around the corner, intending to fire, only to find the golem stood directly in front of him. He swung back inside. "Scratch that; tell her to get her arse moving. That bloody thing is here" he said and he rolled across the forge to avoid the fist that swung in through the doorway. He aimed his revolver straight at the golem's head and fired another three slugs directly into its one remaining eye socket. He then rolled again and came to rest behind one of the huge anvils. A second later Skuld was beside him, having hammered Juggernaut with another handful of explosives. Jago turned to her and handed her his gun and half a dozen rounds. "Here, load this!" he said and before she could ask him what he was doing, he turned away and stood, placed one hand on either side of the anvil and lifted all five-hundred pounds of it high onto his shoulder. With a bellowing roar, he hurled it straight at the golem and it struck it full in the chest. The blow was enough to floor the massive brute and keep it pinned, at least for a few minutes. Then came what was possibly the most glorious sound in the world: Clunk, Clunk, Clunk, CRASH! Clunk, Clunk, Clunk, CRASH! It was the sound of a water powered tilt hammer coming down with enough force to flatten an iron bar as thick as a human wrist into a sheet just a few millimetres in thickness. Jago grinned, even as the golem heaved the anvil off of itself. "Skuld, tell Little Red, I owe her all of the ice-cream in the world!" Skuld grinned and nodded, pulling herself to her feet beside Jago. "However, I suggest that you leave now" said Jago, suddenly getting serious again.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"This is why" said Jago as his eyes turned red.

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_Juggernaut felt fear again, even as the smallest goddess made good her escape. The energy was back the human; the red eyed madness that had seen him even turn on his lover. For the second time that day, it felt fear. The human took a step forward. It took a step back. It stumbled. Just as Jago had planned, it had removed the anvil and then stepped around it. But when it stepped back, it fell over it. Right onto the plate of the larger of the two tilt hammers. Fifty pounds or reinforced steel thumped down, shattering the golem's head into oblivion. It started to reform. The hammer came down again, shattering what had reformed. It reformed again. It shattered again. Each time it shattered, a small, hard box was exposed, appearing undamaged by the constant pounding. But then Jago stepped up. And it was Jago again, his brown-green eyes played tribute to the disappearance of Jupiter once more. Timing it carefully, he caught the tilt hammer as it prepared to drop and with a deft movement, he flicked aside the box. In a futile show of resistance, Juggernaut raised a feeble hand, even as Jago open the box and removed the disk. The last thing that the golem saw was Jago crushing the clay disk that contained its Master's commands. The soul-fire inside the shattered golem died. The body stopped reforming. The impossible had been done; the Unkillable had been killed. Jago sighed._

_"I'm getting too old for this crap"._

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It wasn't much later that Lamb finally awoke. She looked around, confused. What was she doing in her Master's sitting room? She pulled herself into a sitting position, gasping at the pain and stiffness coming from her left wing. What had happened? How had she got here? The last thing she could remember, she had used her Archprime powers to try and defeat that golem, she had almost run out of energy and then… something had happened that had distracted her and she had been forced to change back into her normal form to save herself. After that, it was a bit fuzzy. Something about her wing. A hole. The golem. And then? And then Master had attacked the golem! Somehow he had escaped her Aegis Shield and he had saved her again, keeping it busy for long enough for Mistress Lind to carry her to safety. She grinned. Getting saved my Master? This was getting to become regular occurrence.

She started at the sound of the front door opening. It was Damascus. Lamb smiled. Despite their differences, she could genuinely say that she was pleased to see the devil.

"Ah Lamb, I see you're awake" said Damascus. Lamb nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so. What exactly happened? Did we beat that golem?" Damascus nodded.

"Master did" she said. Lamb's face brightened.

"He beat it on his own?" Again, Damascus nodded. "That's great! I must see him. Where is Master?" Damascus suddenly looked edgy.

"He's outside, helping the others. We were pretty broken up after that. But-"

"I'll help, it's the least I can do!"

"That might not be the best of ideas" said Damascus. Lamb cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, urr… Master isn't in the best of moods at the moment. It might be best to wait a while". Lamb shrugged her off.

"Stop talking nonsense! He's Master! It's my job to help him and so help him I shall!" She bustled past Damascus who tried to stop her but it was futile.

"Oh shit" swore the devil. This was not going to go well.

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"Do you want a gag? Or at least, something to bite?" asked Jago. Holybell shook her head.

"Let's just get this over with". They were sat on the steps of the temple building which had become a temporary clinic for the various injuries that had been suffered during the fight. Most were fairly minor: cuts and scrapes. Holybell had come off worst, one wing having been dislocated and without magic it was up to Jago to push it back into place. Belldandy was holding Holybell's hands to offer support to her angel as she winced as Jago gently took hold of her damaged wing. "Is this going to hurt?" she asked. Jago sighed.

"Do want the honest answer?" She nodded. "It's going to hurt like nothing you have ever experienced".

"How bad would that b-"she stared to say but before she could finish, Jago wrenched the wing and with a click, it popped back into its socket. Holybell wrapped her hands around Belldandy as the pain surged through her back, biting her hand to supress a scream.

"Sorry, it hurts about that much" said Jago. "You ok?" Holybell whimpered as a single tear rolled down her cheek but nodded. "Good" said Jago. "Just give the wing a quick test would you?" Holybell nodded and gave her wing a quick beat. It still ached a little but at least now it was back where it was supposed to be. Jago grinned. "Looking good. At least I didn't have to ask you not think about purple elephants".

"Purple elephants?" asked Belldandy.

"Yeah. If you know it's coming then you will always tense up and so I would have to distract you by saying not to think about purple elephants. It sounds stupid but it does actually work".

"Well I thank you for helping my Holybell Mister Jago" said Belldandy with a smile.

"Yes, thank you Master Jago" said Holybell.

"It's no problem" said Jago with a smile. "After all the trouble I've been, I'm only too happy to help".

"Master!" came a voice from across the courtyard. Jago's face fell and they turned to see Lamb heading over to them, closely followed by a still protesting Damascus. Lamb was smiling. Jago stood and started heading over to her. "Master!" Lamb said happily but then her smile faded. Jago's wasn't smiling. He walked right up to her. SLAP! The sound echoed across the courtyard like a gunshot and there was a sharp intake of breath from the temple residents as Lamb staggered backward, a hand pressed against her stinging face. "Master?" she said, sounding sad and confused. Jago's scowled.

"No. I am not your Master" he said quietly. "Not after all you have done Lamb". He turned away from her and started walking back towards the temple.

"Wait Master!" said Lamb, trying to grab hold of his arm. He shrugged her off. "Please Master, I don't understand. Have I done something? Was it something I said?" Jago continued to ignore her, even as tears started to stream down her face. "Please Master!" she said, getting desperate. "Please, just talk to me!" Jago stopped and half turned.

"What's there to talk about Lamb? You betrayed me". He turned away.

"Betrayed you? But Master, I never-"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" shouted Jago, turning back around, jabbing the air with his finger and spitting venom. "Don't you dare say that you didn't betray me! I have no problem with fact that that golem was sent specifically to kill you. While I didn't like having to endanger the others, they agreed to help on their own free will. However, I cannot forgive you for what you did with that shield! It's not so much the trapping but it was the fact that by doing so, you put the rest of them into so much more danger! If I had been able to fight then there was a good chance that we could have at least slowed it down a few more minutes, long enough to get you and Damascus out of here, but now; you had to go and fuck it up!"

"But… Master" said Lamb, her face streaming with tears. "I was just trying to protect you. I was sure that it was you it was coming for. I thought it was going to kill you". At this, Jago gave a laugh; a short, sharp bark that had nothing to do with humour.

"So you really are a stupid bitch aren't you? Of course it wasn't after me! All it wanted was you!" He stopped, pulling his packet of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled on free, lit it and took a puff. "Not only that but do you know what I almost did? I had to use Jupiter to escape and then again to defeat that thing. Do you have any idea what that's like? To have the embodiment of evil coming through you and almost losing yourself? Because of you, I almost killed Lind! Do you understand? I almost killed the one person I cared about most, trying to save your arse and fix your cockups!" He took another drag at his cigarette and then flicked it aside. "As such, I currently view you as little better than that damn monster. As I said, I no longer consider myself your Master. You don't have to leave if they want you here but I can't stand even being in the same city as you. As such, I'm leaving. I don't know where to yet but I'll be gone by morning. If you try and follow me Lamb then I must warn you, I will have no hesitation in killing you". He turned to Damascus. "Damascus, I have no hard feelings towards you. You can either come with me or stay here, I won't begrudge you either way. Just be warned; if you stay then you will be in charge. I'll want you to keep the forge going and I want you to maintain Bob and Skuld's training". Damascus nodded and Jago turned away, heading for the temple. Belldandy and Holybell silently shuffle out of his way as he disappeared inside. The courtyard was silent for a while. Then in finally sunk in. Lamb sunk to her knees with a howl and wept, tears streaming down her face.

"PLEASE MASTER! DON'T GO! PLEASE!" she begged. But it was too late, he was already gone.

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Jago stood quietly inside the temple for a few minutes. He could hear Lamb's cries for forgiveness and he wept silently at what he was being forced to do. He didn't want to leave her. He truly didn't. But she couldn't do things like that; risk just about everybody that he cared about just to save one life, even if that life was his. So he hardened his heart and wiped his face clean. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Lind looking silently at him. She understood. She may be the only one who did. He reached down and brushed aside the long strip that hung down from the right side of her powder blue hair.

"I'll won't be walkabout long. A month, maybe two on the outside". Lind nodded sadly. "Please, keep her safe. She may have done wrong by you than most but she is still my Astrakhan Lamb. Just make sure she stays safe". Lind silently nodded again, a single tear forming in her eye. Jago gently brushed it aside. "Don't you cry for me" he said. "I'll be back". He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and she returned it, kissing him gently on the neck. They broke apart. "Take care" said Jago. She nodded. Then Jago was gone. Lind let one more tear fall. She summoned Cool Mint to her.

"Please, keep him safe" she said. Cool Mint nodded and headed out, following her Mistress's lover. Lind then cleared her throat and headed back outside. There was work to be done. With a screech like a drunken cat, Mara finally landed following her being booted skywards by Juggernaut. From the looks of things, Belldandy and Damascus would be busy with those injuries for a while. She sighed. The next few months would be her biggest test yet.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Moving Forward, Moving Up**

Jago turned the car off of the back road and onto the dirt track that lead up into the mountains. He had borrowed the ancient Series I Land Rover from Keiichi; one of the car's that he had won the day before from Toshiyuki. He had taken it because he didn't want anyone to follow him during his isolation and besides: the Unimog was the only vehicle big enough to take everyone to and from work. Besides, he liked old Land Rovers. The track started to climb steeply and the open fields had begun to give way to trees, mostly pines but also the occasional lime. The plan was to continue high into the woods and find a suitable spot to make camp. He had brought enough supplies to last a couple of months plus his khukuri, his work knife, his fire kit and a length of strong fishing handline, so that he would have no need for contact until he decided to return to the Tarikihongan. All he needed now was to find a site that he could use and then set up shop. And hope that he could find some forgiveness for Lamb.

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From thirty-thousand feet above, Cool Mint followed Jago's progress, just as her Mistress had asked her to. She wasn't sure that she agreed with what Jago had done, especially after Lamb's reaction but Lind trusted him and so she trusted him too. She would follow him to the ends of the Earth. She would protect her adopted Master. Now though, it was getting hard to track him. She folded her single wing and dived down to five-thousand, counting on the tree cover and the lack of people to keep her hidden. It was getting hard to follow the Land Rover along its path up the rough track but soon, Jago reached the end of the navigable track and unloaded himself from the car, removing his cargo and then disguising the vehicle with tree branches before setting out on foot. As he disappeared into the trees, Cool Mint dropped down to the ground and glanced around, making sure that the coast was clear before slipping into the shadows to follow him. For such a big guy, he sure did move quickly and quietly!

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His bergan on his back, his tools at his side and his hitting stick in his hand, Jago continued to climb into the mountains. It was getting warm and he was sweating profusely but he was determined to find a suitable spot to set up shop. He wiped his brow and paused, pulling first a map and then his cigarettes from his pocket. He lit up, took a puff and checked his map, looking for a good spot. A rustle from back down the track caught his attention but he ignored it, as it was just a small deer that wandered across the track behind him. After a few minutes, he decided that he had found a good spot; a secluded clearing one the Southern slopes of the mountain with a creek nearby that could be used for water. His direction decided, he set off again.

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Cool Mint winced as she ducked behind a tree, knowing that her rustle had almost given her away. If it hadn't been for that deer, she would have been seen for sure but luckily it had spooked at just the right moment and had covered her approach.

"Getting sloppy" she told herself. "Too much time around humans". She wanted to remain hidden from Jago as she knew he was unstable at the moment and she didn't want to upset him any more than he already had been. She waited a second and then peaked her head around the trunk of the tree. He was gone. "Bugger" she said and she headed over to where Jago had been. She couldn't detect him immediately so she closed her eyes and focused her mind so as to detect his aura. She quickly found him and headed in the direction that he had gone, moving stealthily through the trees. After an hour of tracking him, she came upon a clearing that had probably been his intended destination. But to her confusion, he wasn't there. His bag and his stick were lying on the edge of the clearing but he wasn't present. She took a step into the clearing, looking around, trying to detect him. Then there was a snap form above. She turned rapidly and her head snapped up just in time to see Jago drop from the tree, his khukuri in hand. He landed on top of her with a grunt and they both collapsed to the ground, with him pressing his blade against her throat. His face was originally angry but then he realised who he had dropped onto.

"Cool Mint?" he said.

"Hello Master Jago" she replied. He pulled himself up, sheathed his blade and then offered her his hand which she took.

"You're getting sloppy" he said. "I knew you were following me since that deer and I do wish you hadn't come. However, I will admit that I'm pleased to see you".

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The shelter that Jago had constructed was crude at the very best; a tarp roof attached to a tree and then staked to the ground. The weather was mild enough so that nothing more was needed although Jago had cut a fireplace in case of unseasonal cold. They had been largely silent as they worked. They had gathered wood. They had taken stock of Jago's supplies. All without a word. Even when Jago had tried to teach her how to fish, they had hardly spoken although Jago had managed a laugh after she had lost a particularly slippery trout. Dinner though was a quiet affair. Fish, beans and potatoes roasted on a stick, washed down with some of Jago's extra strong liquor; a potent cider based brew known as "Suicider", so strong it could strip the pain off a wall. Cool Mint, still having her Mistress's low tolerance for alcohol and unwilling to compete with someone who could drink a Cossack under the table only had a little, so was still fairly sober by the time that Jago finally decided to talk.

"Do you know how many women I've dated before I met Lind? I mean properly dated?" Jago asked, taking a swig of Suicider, not caring whether Cool Mint was listening. "Three. And you know what the funny thing was ? I couldn't stand two of them!" he chuckled and took another swig. Cool Mint gave him a curious look.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Simple; I am a very difficult person to get along with. In some ways, I'm the smartest guy around. In others, I'm as thick as whale omelette. I have strong opinions. I can't stand people who think too highly of themselves. I probably doesn't help that I have almost no social skills. How the Hell Lind puts up with me, I don't know".

"To be honest, my Mistress is just the same. Until she came to Earth, there were only two people that she would call friends. And one of them, she now loathes".

"Who was that?" Jago asked.

"His name was Deaderuss, a Valkyrie like her. Well I say a Valkyrie, in fact he is now a High Lord and commander of the Praetorian Guard now".

"I didn't know that there was such a thing as male Valkyries" said Jago, taking a swig and offering her the bottle.

"They're not exactly common" she said, accepting the bottle and taking a swig. "Even amongst normal deities, only one in ten is actually male. To have one become a Valkyrie is extremely rare. In fact, if it weren't for a strange twist of fate, they may never have met".

"How's that?"

"Well as you know, until the Angel-Eater incident, Mistress could only summon Spear Mint and so she was ridiculed for having one wing by the other goddesses. Even her own mother, Lady Valmeyar, head of the Fourth Praetorian cohort turned against her. She disowned her daughter, shamed by the fact she only had one wing and they hadn't spoken for years. So Lind decided that she would prove those naysayers wrong and that her lack of a wing was nothing to be ashamed of. She wanted to earn me. So she sighed up to the Valkyries. That was where she met Lord Deaderuss. After she finished her training, she was made to go through the Valkyrie selection test, just like all perspective Valkyries. As part of it, ten trainees were given a weapon of choice and were put into a ring together and told that the last one standing would be selected to become a full Valkyrie. They were allowed to use any means necessary to win and soon, there were only two left".

"Let me guess: Lind and Deaderuss?" Cool Mint nodded.

"That's right. They were incredibly evenly matched and so the fight went on for hours. In fact, they were so closely matched that eventually it was decided that in the first time Valkyrie history, the last two trainees in a match would both be accepted. After that they developed if not a friendship then at least a respect for one another. Especially since they both had a similar problem with their angels".

"You mean he had two as well? Or that he had one with one wing?"

"Not quite. Deaderuss is unable to support an angel". Jago looked taken back.

"What? How can that be?"

"Nobody is sure. It may be that his family had been tainted with demon blood or that he simply didn't have the right aptitude. Whatever the reason, they became a fighting pair; an unbeatable team that was more than a match for any adversary in Heaven or Hell. Mistress used to smile back then. Between the two of them, they were truly happy. In fact, it is possible that they may have loved each other. However, they eventually reached a point of disagreement and their relationship was broken".

"Really? What?"

"Power" Cool Mint said simply. "Lind wanted to become stronger and as such, she and Deaderuss reached the rank of Captain faster than any other Valkyries in history. But whereas Deaderuss wanted to continue onward and become a Praetorian, Lind was content where she was. She wanted the strength to summon her second wing while he wanted power over people. He no longer cared for others and because of this Mistress became resentful of him. Deaderuss even more so, especially after she finally managed to summon me. Resent grew into hatred. Lind refused to attend Deaderuss's knighthood and promotion to High Lord Protector. And now, after her failure with Lamb…". Her voice drifted off but Jago waved his hand for her to continue. "After she failed to recover Lamb, he personally stripped her of her rank and uniform and banished her from Heaven".

"Was he the bastard who gave her that brand? The one between the shoulders?" Cool Mint was looked stunned.

"How did you-?" she said.

"I've known about it since she first got back from Heaven. I knew it was something magical because I could only see it where either Lamb or Damascus were inside me. I just didn't mention it because I didn't want to cause her any more hurt". He took a very heavy swig. "I haven't even met this Deaderuss" he said, "and I already think he's a tosser". He snorted to himself. "I hope I do meet him though".

"Why?"

"So that I can make him pay for what he did to Lind with that brand. Perhaps I should sharply apply the big, booted, bony thing with five toes sharply to the soft collection of dangly things that inhabit his trousers?" Cool Mint laughed out loud at this.

"I'll drink to that!" she said and took another swig.

"What about this other friend?" Jago asked.

"Hmm?"

"You said you had two friends whilst growing up. So who was this other one?"

"Him? That was Heimdall. He was the guardian of the Bifrost Gate and he's probably her oldest true friend. It was because of him that Mistress joined the Valkyries".

"Really? Well how did that happen then?" Cool Mint was quiet and he instantly felt guilty. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't pry. I could blame the booze but truthfully, I was curious. But I see it's a delicate subject, so I'm sorry for bringing it up".

"No, it's ok. You should probably know" said Cool Mint. "Mistress met Heimdall the day that Spear Mint and I were born, the day that her mother disowned her for having only one wing. Mistress was young then and she had planned to leave Heaven but in order for her to do so, she would have to pass through the Bifrost Gate. And to do that, she would have to get past Heimdall…"

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The young Lind approached the Gate, ready leave. She was carrying everything she owned in the bag on her back. Where she would go, she didn't know but she knew one thing for certainty; there was no way she could stay in Heaven. She was a laughing stock, the One Winged Wannabe and in order to escape embarrassment, her own mother had severed all family ties with her. As if to add insult to injury, while she now had an angel, she didn't yet have the power to take a formal position within the ranks of Heaven's goddesses. So she had decided to leave. As she approached the gate though, she felt a presence behind her.

"You're a bit young to be leaving for Earth aren't you?" said Heimdall, the Guardian of the Gate. Nobody seemed to know who he was or where had come from. Some said he was God who hadn't ever developed any magic and so had been banished to defend the entrance to Heaven. Some said he was THE original golem, a flesh avatar who had proven to be too loyal to hack and so had been allowed to live on while later golems were decommissioned. Some even rumoured that he was a Titan who had sided with Heaven and Hell during the Great War and so had been allowed to live. Whoever he was, he was known as a being of frightening fighting skill and not someone to be trifled with. Lind turned and faced the big man, looking up into his ancient, scared face. And those great golden eyes. In the present tense, he was blind, unable to see anything or anyone. However, he could as he chose, see into either the past or future or both, while also able to see anywhere at the same time. She shuddered.

"That is none of your concern Heimdall" she said. "Just open Bifrost so that I can past through". Heimdall shook his head.

"It is my concern Lind Valmeyar-Daughter as no one can pass though without my permission" he said. "And considering that you have little in the way of magic and an angel with but a single wing, I cannot in all good conscience let you pass. If I were to let you pass now and you were to encounter a demon then you would surely be killed and I have enough blood on my hands without the need for that for a depressed goddess". Lind gritted her teeth at the mention of her angel and raised a fist.

"Heimdall, I am a goddess fourth class, unlicensed and I demand that you let me leave! My weakness is no concern of yours! If you won't let me pass then I will fight you and when I win, I will-". Heimdall cut her off by summoning his powerful bastard sword and swinging it through the air at her. The cross guard connected sharply with her temple and she staggered back.

"Lind, you are in no position to make threats. I suggest that you return to Heaven now and seek you peace". Lind, having recovered from the surprise attack, leapt up and swung her fist hard at the Guardian's stomach. It impacted with a dull thud that sent spasms up Lind's arm and stopped her dead. Heimdall raised his own fist and mimicked the attack only rather than being stooped dead, his punch lifted Lind clean off of her feet and landed her on her arse. She gasped and Heimdall walked past her, taking up his customary post in front of the Gate, hands resting loosely on the hilt of his sword. Lind pulled herself back to her feet with gritted teeth, she summoned Spear Mint.

"SHATTER SOUL PUNCH!" they shouted together and with a fist wreathed in flame, they launched a final attack on Heimdall. With an almost bored gesture, he raised his left hand and caught Lind's fist while his right caught that of Spear Mint, extinguishing the flames and stopping the attack dead. He released them and in a single move, he backhanded them to the ground. He returned both hands to the hilt of his sword which had remained upright even though he had released it. Lind on the other hand was still on the ground. A single tear rolled down her cheek and Spear Mint hugged her shoulders, trying to comfort her Mistress. However, it was a tap on her shoulder that made Lind look up. Heimdall had bent over and offered her a hand.

"Now, there is no need for tears" he said. "I didn't hit you that hard". Lind blushed furiously and shook her head.

"It's not that. It's just…"

"I understand" said Heimdall. "You have just received much hardship for one so young. However, as a dear friend of yours will one day say, "This is as low as you can go; it's only up from here". Lind looked confused but wiped away the lone tear and accepted Heimdall's hand, using it to pull herself to her feet.

"Perhaps you are right. But I don't know what we are supposed to do" she said, indicating Spear Mint. "While I love my angel, between us we have little power. And now, we have no home to go to". Heimdall nodded sagely.

"I understand Lind. But going to Earth or any other realm would be almost suicidally dangerous for one so young. So perhaps I shall offer an alternative".

"An alternative?"

"Yes. I will let you pass. However," he said, raising a finger, "you must become strong enough to defeat me before I will let you pass through Bifrost".

"But how am I supposed to achieve something like that? I have no home, no tutor! Who would teach me?"

"That is simple; enlist in the ranks of the Valkyries. They will provide a home and training".

"The Valkyries!" said Lind, sounding shocked. "How would I survive the Wolves of Heaven when I can barely manage to support an angel?"

"With my help" said Heimdall. "I will tutor you and will support you. I will be your Master and your teacher. While officially I am not a member of the Valkyries, I do have a rank equal to any of their number and my set on the High Council grants me the authority to train whoever I see fit. So then Lind Valmeyar-Daughter, will you accept my offer? I will warn you, this won't be an easy task and it will involve much suffering and sacrifice on your part. However, I can tell you this; I have seen into you future and I can tell you that you accept and put your heart and soul into this then you will one day earn your second wing". Lind was stunned.

"But how can I do this? They all said that I would never achieve anything for as long as I live, that I was marked for failure and weakness forever".

"Well then prove them wrong" said Heimdall. "As the same future friend would say, "Nil Illegitimus Carborundum".

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't let the bastards grind you down". Lind grinned and they had shaken on it. The same day, she enrolled in the Valkyries and had begun her training under Heimdall. It had taken many years but had been much quicker than most Valkyries due to her natural fighting spirit and her drive to succeed. By the time she had been accepted, she had proven that she was stronger than Heimdall. As promised, he had allowed her the chance to pass through Bifrost but by then she refused; she had finally been accepted. And her name had changed. No longer the One Winged Wannabe. Now she was the Fighting Wing!

8888

Jago smiled after Cool Mint finished her tale.

"I think he might have been talking about me when he said "a future friend". Cool Mint nodded.

"Yeah, what he said does sound like something you'd say". She took another drink and handed back the bottle. "What about you? You said that you hadn't had much luck women so what about those you did? What happened to them?" Jago was quiet for a while and Cool Mint was afraid that she had said something to upset him. However, he eventually started talking again.

"Holly, Amelia, Twinkle" he said.

"I'm sorry?"

"You asked about women. Holly, Amelia and Twinkle. In the end I hated two of them and the third I lost contact with".

"What happened?" Jago looked across at her, thinking.

"Ok. First was Holly. Nice girl or so I thought when I met her. But then I realised that I was wrong. She used to bitch about people behind their backs and it turn out she thought that at least one of the Earth's axis rotated firmly between her arse cheeks". Cool Mint giggled at the expression. "In the end I decided that it would be better if I didn't keep seeing her. Good thing too, I might have ended up like her". He paused and pulled out his cigarettes. However, Cool Mint pulled a face and he sighed. "Alright I get the hint" he said with a sigh. "Now where was I? Oh yes, number two. That was Amelia. Or Amy, to her friends. Now she was a nice girl. She was kind, she was sweet and she could cook like a professional. But as it turned out, she was unfaithful".

"Unfaithful? You mean she didn't believe in God?"

"What? No! I mean that I caught her cheating on me with another man. That did it for me and I left her on the spot".

"Oh. I'm sorry" said Cool Mint, lowering her gaze. Jago patter her on the shoulder.

"Forget about it! It's in the past! I better off without someone who I can't trust. Anyway, it meant that I could meet Twinkle. Now she really was nice. From Hong Kong too. We were a right pair; the huge, hairy Englishman and the tiny little Chinese girl!" he laughed to himself. "Shame".

"What happened?"

"She had to go back to her own country. We stayed in contact for a while but eventually I stopped getting messages from her. She just disappeared from my life". He sighed. "After that, I decided that I came to university where I decided that I hated the human race for what it is and I haven't had any more girls until I met Lind. Although whether I would call her a girl is open to discussion". They were quiet for a while, quietly passing the bottle back and forth and watching the fire. Eventually, Cool Mint broke the silence.

"What do you mean you hate the human race?" she asked.

"That? Well think about. At the extremes, there are people who would have no problem with stealing the pennies of the eyes of a dead granny and then there are people who are like Keiichi who would probably to eligible for sainthood. In between are the rest of us; the bastards species that's too wrapped up it its own trivial concerns to care. All we do is get up, go to work, come home, eat chips, watch the telly and go to bed. Maybe try and cuckold the neighbour's misses. And at the same time, we try and ignore the third of the world that's starving to death".

"That's dark" said Cool Mint.

"Is it? Probably. Had too much to drink to care". He sighed. "But it's the truth though. How you lot put up with us is beyond me". He went to take a drink from the bottle and discovered it was empty so he tossed it into the fire and lay back. "Perhaps that's why I have trouble with women?" he wondered out loud. "Because I know this and I feel like I'm supposed to give a damn?" He looked across at Cool Mint who was silhouetted against the fire. "Perhaps that's why I'm attracted to Lind?" he said. "She doesn't have any of those problems that affect most women. She's unique. Special". He paused. "Perhaps I shouldn't be saying things like that to someone who is technically part of Lind?" Cool Mint turned to him and smiled a little.

"Don't worry about it" she said. "I can tell you this; my Mistress loves you and would do anything to make sure that she could stay with her". Jago nodded.

"Well then, I can safely admit it you then; I love Lind too. More than any women I have ever met. Although…" he said, settling himself down to get comfortable and pulled his Stetson down over his eyes, "I could never marry her".

"Why not?" said Cool Mint, a little too aggressively. Jago pulled his hat back up slightly and stared at Cool Mint.

"Why do you think? Marriage would be a sure-fire way to end our relationship and a breakup wouldn't be pretty. Plus, it doesn't help that I'm mortal and that she's immortal. In the end, I would die and I don't want her too be hurt too badly when that happens. At least this way, when we do eventually break up, which we will, we can cleanly go our separate ways and it means that she can find someone else before my time comes. I don't know whether that makes any sense to you but it does to me and so that is how I plan to live with it. Don't get me wrong, if I could, I would marry her in a heartbeat but I don't know if I could live with myself if I ever did something like that and made her regret it". Jago fell silent and eventually he pulled the hat back over his eyes. "I think that's enough talking for now. I suppose I'll see you in the morning".

"Good night Master Jago" said Cool Mint, deep in thought over what he had said to her.

"Good night" said Jago and within a few minutes, he fell into a deep sleep.

8888

Cool Mint remained awake for quite a while longer. She kept watch over Jago, letting her Mistress's lover sleep unmolested. It was near dawn that she felt Lind call to her through her mind and she slipped quietly, using the nearby stream to instantly transport herself back to the Jago's cottage. She silently slipped into the bedroom where her Mistress was waiting, cross-legged on the bed, Spear Mint alongside her.

"Greeting's Mistress, Spear Mint" Cool Mint said.

"Hello Cool Mint" said Lind. "How is he?"

"He's fine" said Cool Mint. "Sleeping last I checked. Before that he was quiet but then he got drunk and started getting a bit philosophical". Lind nodded. "What about Lamb? How is she?" Lind's face darkened.

"She's become despondent. She won't talk and she didn't eat at dinner. However, I believe that she will be alright. If Jago believes that what he is doing is right then it is not my place to intervene". Cool Mint nodded but the movement overbalanced her and she almost fell forward. Lind snorted at the spectacle.

"Cool Mint? Are you drunk?" she said to her angel who blushed a little as she pulled herself back into a sitting position.

"Yes Mistress. Jago invited me to share his liquor and after what had happened today, it seemed wrong to refuse him. After that, we started talking; about friends and about… lovers".

"Care to explain?" Lind asked. And so Cool Mint did. After telling her Mistress and sister all that had transpired between Jago and her, Lind simply nodded her head. And then she hugged her younger angel.

"Cool Mint, you have done more for our relationship than I could have ever have done on my own! I now know that not only does Jago love me but he would marry me if he thought he could!" She leaned back and smiled at her Cool Mint. "You have given me hope for the future. Now though, there's something that I want you to do for both me and Jago".

"Anything Mistress!" And so Lind told her. Both Cool Mint and Spear Mint were stunned. "Are you sure Mistress?" asked Cool Mint. "I am willing and I may be a part of you but I am not you in entirety. And besides, Jago may object". Lind shook her head.

"I doubt he will object, especially if you tell him that it was me who suggested it".

"But Mistress, why not go yourself?" the angel asked.

"I would but I can't. I must remain here and continue to train Bob, Skuld and Chrono so I must rely on you to deliver this gift to him. Can I trust you?" Cool Mint smiled and nodded.

"Yes Mistress. And… thank you" she said. Then she departed, heading back to Jago through a bowl of water that Lind had left specifically for the purpose. After she was gone, Spear Mint turned to her Mistress.

"I hope that you are doing the right thing by asking Cool Mint to do this. She has always been overly enthusiastic and I'm worried that she may get carried away". Lind however knew her older angel too well for this ploy to work.

"Why Spear Mint!" she said in mock surprise. "I do believe that you're jealous! I may have heard of "angel lust" but this is ridiculous!" Spear Mint looked away in embarrassment.

"Ok, I'll admit, may be a little jealous".

"Don't you worry; I'll send you to relieve Cool Mint tonight and then you can take her place". Spear Mint gave a cheeky grin.

"Thank you Mistress" she said. "Perhaps now though, we should consider waking our charges. It's time to begin our training". Lind nodded and sighed.

"I suppose you're right. You find Bob, I'll get Damascus".

8888

Jago woke with a warm arm draped across his back. He smiled and without opening his eyes, he reached out and kissed the hand.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty" he said.

"Good morning Master Jago". Jago's eye's shot open and he turned sharply to see not Lind but Cool Mint lying beside him. He gave a yelp and did a mad backward scramble to get away from her while she looked concerned. "Master Jago? What's the matter?"

"Cool Mint! What are you doing?"

"This is how Mistress Lind often holds you in the morning. I thought that it might be to your liking. Was I wrong?" Jago was quiet for a second.

"Hang on" he said. "I just need a moment to gather my thoughts". He rubbed his face and then rapped his head sharply with his knuckles to make sure he wasn't still dreaming. He closed his eyes for a second and rubbed his face again. When he opened them, Cool Mint was inches from his face, staring at him with her beautiful, piercingly blue eyes.

"Master Jago? Is there something the matter?" Jago backed off a few inches and shook his head dumbly.

"No, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"Well, you took me by surprise, that's all".

"Oh! That's a relief!" she said. And she leaned forward and kissed Jago full on the lips. Jago was too taken by surprise to resist and it was several minutes before she released him. His face turned deadly serious.

"Cool Mint, what exactly are you doing?" he said, very slowly.

"I'm trying to make you happy" she said, looking a little worried as her efforts didn't seem to be getting the reaction she had expected. At least, not the ones that Lind got when she did this to Jago. There was still one thing she could try. Without another word, she started to remove the cloth that covered her bust. In a panic, Jago's hands shot forward and clasped the piece of material back on as she tried to remove it. They both looked down at where Jago's hands had ended up. Cool Mint gave a little smile, finally getting a reaction close to what she had expected. Jago meanwhile turned beet red but now he was determined to find out exactly what was going on.

"Cool Mint, please explain exactly to me exactly what you think you are doing. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Cool Mint's face fell.

"I… I was just copying what Mistress does. I know how it makes both you and her happy and so I planned to try it myself".

"But… Cool Mint! You know that I'm in love with Lind! Besides, if she found out that one of her own angels-"

"But she already knows!" said Cool Mint.

"Ok, now I'm confused" said Jago, cocking his head with a frown.

"Just before dawn, Mistress called me home so that she could make sure that you were alright. While I was there, I told her about what we had discussed last night and she seemed pleased".

"You told her….?"

"Yes. I told her that you loved her and that you would marry her if fate had offered the chance. She was overjoyed and so she asked me to do something for you".

"That being?" asked Jago, a sense of dread building.

"She asked me to make love to you" Cool Mint said simply. Jago was silent for a second.

"Why in the world would she ask you to do that?" he finally said. Cool Mint blushed.

"She wanted to show her appreciation for your feelings and to return them in some way. She loves you too and so she thought that this might be a good way for me to show it". Jago still looked shocked.

"She actually said that she loves me" he whispered to himself and then shook himself a little. "But Cool Mint, it would mean having sex with a different women. I don't know-".

"I'm not a different woman" said Cool Mint. "I am in my own way, Lind. An angel is the physical representation of a goddess's soul and in the case of Lind, I am the brighter, more cheerful side whilst Spear Mint is the more serious, combat orientated side. Between us, we are Lind and as such, having sex with either of us would be the same as having sex with Mistress. In fact in Heaven, if partners are separated and unable to visit one-another then it is common for them to send their angel to their partner in order that they retain their bond with each other". Jago nodded slowly.

"I think I understand" he said. "But I'm not entirely convinced. While I am willing, I would need some form of proof before I do anything. Especially as I don't want to do anything that I might later regret". Cool Mint nodded and without another word, she brought her head forward and placed her temple against his. A rush of information surged through his brain and in an instant, he knew that what Cool Mint had said was true.

"Are you satisfied now Master Jago?" asked Cool Mint, smiling broadly. Jago gave his head a little affirmative twitch and grinned.

"Aye, that would about do it" he said. After that, they made love; the angel and the human in unbridled passion. Afterwards they collapsed breathless and smiling to the forest floor.

"That was…" said Cool Mint, her face beaming as she looked with a new fondness at Jago. Jago smiled back at her.

"I know" he said and he gently kissed her. Then he stood and pulled off his shirt, making towards the stream.

"Whatcha doin?" she asked playfully.

"Need a wash" he said. "If I don't have one soon, I'll end up stinking like a yeti. Are you coming?" Cool Mint nodded and followed her lover. She hoped that she could find a way for Lind and Jago to stay together, if only so that she could share him on occasion. After all, he was _their _man!

8888

For Jago, life continued much like this for most of the time of his enforced separation. During the day, he was almost silent as he worked. He fished, he gathered early summer edible greens and they would train. Jago would disappear into the woods and whoever was with him would attempt to track him down while he would set up an ambush. The angels were then tasked to find him and try and spot his surprise before he could spring the trap. The angels in question were changed every morning, Cool Mint and Spear Mint taking it in turns to relieve one another. They would help him with whatever he was doing, remaining tactfully silent unless Jago ventured comment on whatever they were up to. However, after dinner Jago would crack open one of his seemingly limitless number of bottles of Suicider and they would talk. They talked about many things; from politics, to family, to relationships, to magic.

On some nights, they would make love and would asleep in each other's arms. On others, when Jago was feeling particularly depressed, he would turn in before his companion and leave them to keep watch until the morning. It was after one of those nights that they received an unexpected visitor; Gorgeous Rose. Jago was in the middle of making breakfast and Cool Mint had yet to arrive to replace her sister when the rose goddess materialised from one of the pines, grumbling as she came.

"Damn it!" she said. "I told Mistress that using trees as a medium was a bad idea! I knew we should have stuck to flowers!" Before she could say any more though, she was tackled by Spear Mint who pinned the other angel to the ground. Jago heard the scuffle and was there in seconds, his khukuri in hand. "Wait stop!" shouted Gorgeous Rose, frantically waving her arms.

"Oops" said Spear Mint and she rolled off of the top of Gorgeous Rose. Jago sighed, sheathed his khukuri and held out a hand to the dishevelled rose angel. She accepted and he pulled her to her feet.

"Thanks" she said and then she turned angrily to Spear Mint. "That totally sucked!" she said. "Why on Earth did you attack me?" Spear Mint looked guilty.

"Sorry, I sensed your arrival and I was worried that you might have been a hostile. I didn't mean any offence". Gorgeous Rose gave a grunt and brushed herself down before turning to Jago.

"Now that's out of the way, I need to talk to you" she said. "Jago, we need you back". Jago cocked an eyebrow.

"You're kidding me right?" he said. "I'm still pissed at Lamb and I have no intention of going back until I've had time to cool off. You can tell her that if she wants to come and apologise then I am open to letting her do so. It may not achieve much but she is willing to try". He turned away and started making his way back towards the bivouac.

"That's just it" Gorgeous Rose called after him, "we can't find Lamb. He paused and looked back across one shoulder.

"What are you talking about Rosy?" he said.

"She was talking to my Mistress last night and she told her that she should get out as she hasn't been leaving the temple much. She did. She hasn't come back yet".

8888

Jago leaving had been hard on his two Archs. Damascus had taken it fairly hard as despite her initial misgivings, she had come to like her new Master. She had become quiet and subdued but she knew that she had a duty to Jago and so, contrary to her personality, she had put on a brave smile and had endeavoured to carry on as normal, even on occasion consoling Bob as he worried about his older brother. Astrakhan Lamb on the other hand had become first distraught and then nearly catatonic.

She had spent most of the first few days after his departure weeping, inconsolable even by Belldandy. It had been her fault that Jago had left! She had failed her Master! As such, she felt that she wasn't worth her wings. After that, she had become depressed. She barely spoke. She missed meals. She stopped caring for herself and as such, her general condition rapidly deteriorated; her wings losing feathers and her hair and skin becoming dull. If any of the others tried to talk to her, she would either sit silently or just grunt. After nearly two months of this though, Peorth had decided that she had had enough.

"Astrakhan Lamb!" she shouted at the angel, startling her out of her thoughts. She had been sat outside Jago's cottage for most of the morning, her knees drawn up to her chest. The sight had been sufficient to enrage Peorth who had just returned home and was in fact, still wearing the uniform that she was required to wear for her job at the garden centre. Now though, she was angry. "What do you think you are doing Astrakhan Lamb?" she shouted. Lamb shrugged.

"I'm just sitting-".

"What you're doing is sulking!" said the angry goddess. "Is this any way for an angel, especially one of your level of power to behave?"

"Well no but-".

"Then what the Hell do you think you are doing?" Peorth stood and stared down and the angel. At last Lamb drew a breath and spoke.

"I'm waiting for Master to come back" she said.

"That's not good enough!" said Peorth. "Look at you! You haven't washed for days! You don't eat! From what Damascus has told me, you barely sleep! What would Jago say if he could see you?" Her face softened and she gave a sympathetic smile. "I understand how you feel, I really do. Gorgeous Rose and I used to fall out all of the time, although never as badly as you and Jago have. However, we always ended up making up again afterwards and in the end; I think it made us both stronger. What has happened to you two may not be common but it does happen. What you have to do is put the past behind you and move on".

"But-but Master must hate me!" said Lamb. "Because of my stupidity, I nearly got everyone killed, including myself! Not only that, but I made Master use Jupiter to escape!" She began to rock slowly, remembering the incident. "I forced Master to use the most awful, evil powers! He nearly killed Lind! How he could have forgiven him is beyond me! And I'm just as much to blame as he is! I drove him to it!" She broke down and wept. Peorth sighed, leaned forward and she slapped Lamb.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" she said as Lamb rubbed her cheek. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, it won't do you or Jago any good! Now get up!" Lamb looked blank. "I said get up!" Lamb scrambled to her feet, looking confused. "Do you really think that Jago will come back if you are just going to sit around sulking? Ok, so you fucked up! Now get over it!" Lamb gave her tearful look.

"But…. How?" she said. "How can I even face my master after what I did?" Peorth sighed and she pulled out her wallet, handing Lamb a few thousand yen.

"Here, take this. Go to town, get drunk and try to forget about Jago for one evening. Tomorrow, if Jago isn't back then I will personally track him down and drag him back here by the scruff of the neck if need be and you two can talk things out". Lamb nodded. She left. She hadn't been seen since.

8888

Jago nodded gravely to Gorgeous Rose's explanation. He rubbed his chin and he hissed though his teeth.

"I'm sorry Jago" said Gorgeous Rose. "Mistress and I only wanted to help. We thought that Lamb would be back by now". Jago nodded.

"No, you did the right thing. I suppose it is about time I went home. Spear Mint, could you give me a hand packing up?" Spear Mint gave him a quizzical look.

"You're not worried about her?" Jago shook his head.

"I reckon that I would know if something had happened to her or if she was in trouble. She's probably just sleeping off her hangover. Besides, you seem to have forgotten that she's a former Praetorian Guard; she can handle herself in a fight". Spear Mint nodded but no sooner were the words out of his mouth than Jago felt a sting caused by a hurried metal contact.

"_MASTER! HELP!"_

_"Lamb? Is that you? What's the matter?"_

_"I'M TRAPPED! THERE'S A MAN WITH A KNIFE!" _Jago swore.

"_FUCK! HANG ON, I'M COMING!"_ He turned to the two angels. "Spear Mint! Lamb's in trouble! How quickly can you teach me the dimensional slide spell?" Spear Mint thought for second.

"Not quickly enough. Just hold still a second". She crossed to him and placed a hand on his chest. Jago felt a sudden surge in power, accompanied by a drop in power. Spear Mint backed off, gasping. "There!" she said. "I'm temporarily your angel so I can use the dimensional slide for the both of us. Do you know where she is?" Jago nodded. "Good. Gorgeous Rose, can we leave you to clear up the camp?" Gorgeous Rose nodded silently.

"Thanks Rosy!" said Jago. "Ok Spear Mint, get me out of here!" The two raced towards the stream and dove in feet first. Just above the surface, a blue portal appeared and the pair landed within it, vanishing downwards. _"HANG ON LAMB!"_ thought Jago. "_WE'RE ON THE WAY!"_

8888

Lamb had spent the night in an upper class bar, slowly working her way through a substantial quantity of straight vodka. In the end, she had fallen asleep at her table and so the next morning, she woke with a stinking hangover.

"My God!" she said, rubbing her temples. "This reminds me of that time Master was initiated into the Silly Buggers Society!" That hadn't been Jago's proudest university moment. After mishearing the rules, he had tried to shove an entire aubergine into his earhole. It had taken days to pull the bloody thing out! "Well, I now know I don't have Master's immunity to hangovers". She paused. "Master" she whispered. She knew what she had to do; she would track him down and she would apologise. She didn't care if hated her, just as long as he came home. But first, she needed to get home. She slowly staggered to her feet and made her way towards the door.

"Thanks, come again" said the barman. She nodded and instantly regretted it as her stomach lurched. The cool morning air was soothing though and she took a deep breath before stepping out. What she didn't know was that she was being watched.

"So, that's the one that I'm supposed to pick up?" Toshiyuki asked as he looked out through the window of his Ferrari. "Well, she's no Belldandy but she's still pretty". He pulled a sly grin and started the car, pulling up next to Lamb. "Hello there Miss" he said to her, putting on his most dashing smile. "You're Jago's sister aren't you?" Lamb looked down at the man and recognised him as the man who had made that wager with Belldandy before the boat race. She scowled.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily.

"I was just wandering if you were looking for a lift home" he said. "It may only be early but it isn't safe for a woman to wander the streets alone". Lamb thought for a second and weighed her options. While she was hung-over, she was sure that she could deal with any human that tried to molest her. On the other hand, she had drunk her taxi money and it would be a long walk to get back to the temple. True, she could probably fly there but she didn't want to risk being spotted by the town's residence. Finally she nodded and she climbed into the car's passenger side door. She scowled at Toshiyuki.

"Ok, you can take me home. However…" she said, raising a warning finger, "try anything and I will feed you your own face!" Toshiyuki nodded and grinned. With a roar, the Ferrari sped away, hurtling through the streets. Lamb closed her eyes and cupped a hand to her forehead. She must remember not to drink that much, it couldn't be good for her.

"So…" said Toshiyuki. "Last time we met, I didn't catch your name".

"Why would you want to know?" she asked.

"Well you are in my car" said Toshiyuki. Lamb opened one eye in annoyance.

"They call me Lamb" she said. "Now shut up, I'm hung-over". Toshiyuki nodded and went silent as Lamb closed her eye again. After a surprisingly short time, they arrived at their destination.

"Ok, we're here" said Toshiyuki. Lamb opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. They were parked outside a high-class apartment in the centre of town.

"What do you mean "we're here?" she asked. "This isn't my home".

"No" said Toshiyuki, "It's mine!" Suddenly Lamb felt a sharp sting in the side of her neck and she looked around to see him pull an autoinjector out of her. Her arm shot forward and grabbed him by the throat.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" she shouted. Then she felt herself go numb. Her arms went limp. Her face sagged. She looked up at Toshiyuki as he grinned down at her.

"How do you like my supper-strength muscle relaxant?" he asked. "Specifically created to counter the power of an Archangel". Lamb's eyes went wide. "That's right, Miss Astrakhan Lamb, I know who you are. My employer said that he would reward me handsomely if I were to dispose of you. But they said that I could have some fun with you beforehand!" Lamb couldn't reply. Her mouth had become loose and she was losing consciousness. She had to fight! But how!

"_Master!_" she said and she blacked out.

8888

Lamb awoke slowly. She opened her eyes and looked up at an unrecognised ceiling. She tried to move. She couldn't all she could move was her eyes. However, she could still feel. From what she could tell, she had been tied, hand and foot to something, probably a bed. So she could feel but she couldn't move. Then she realised something; she had lost her perception filter. Her wings were stretched out, unable to move but the very fact that they were present must have meant that something had broken her disguise spell. So where was she? How had she got here? Then she remembered; Toshiyuki.

"Well, well, look who's awake at last". Lamb swivelled her eyes and saw the rich playboy stood in the corner of the room. He crossed to her and grinned. "Who would have thought that the most powerful fighter in the legions of Heaven could be so easily defeated?" he said with a sneer. "That's right Astrakhan Lamb; I know that you are an angel. Formally of the Praetorian Guard if I remember correctly. My employer was very thorough when it came to explaining the risks involved with killing you. However, if I do so and I succeed then I get Belldandy as my own. So it's a risk I'm willing to take". He grinned and pulled something from the folds of his green suit jacket; it was a knife. "However, before I kill you I plan to have my way with you" he said, grinning malignantly. "Don't worry; it will only hurt a lot!" He leaned forward and dragged the blade down her front, splitting the cloth wrap that covered her chest. There was only one thing to do; she would have to call for help!

_"MASTER! HELP!" _

_"Lamb? Is that you? What's the matter?"_

_"I'M TRAPPED! THERE'S A MAN WITH A KNIFE!"_ Jago swore.

_"FUCK! HANG ON, I'M COMING!"_ She looked down in terror as Toshiyuki began to lower the blade towards her waist. "_HANG ON LAMB!" _thought Jago. _"WE'RE ON THE WAY!" _

_"MASTER!" _ she screamed mentally as Toshiyuki pulled away the last strips of cloth from her waist. "_No please!"_ she begged to herself. She closed her eyes. Suddenly, the roomed filled with light as a pillar of water condensed from the air.

"WHAT THE HELL!" shouted Toshiyuki as he turned away from the naked Lamb, his knife razed.

"AYO GORKHALI!" bellowed Jago as he erupted from the spout (*1). He shot forth, his khukuri in hand and in a single move, brought in hard down on Toshiyuki's knife hand. The man screamed as the heavy blade passed clean through the though muscle and bone of his wrist and he kept screaming as his hand fell away and he dropped to his knees, clutching the bleeding stump. Jago forward hard and struck the bleeding man hard in the face, then pinned him under his right knee, trapping the smaller man beneath his weight. Jago placed the blade against his throat, his face set in a killers stare. "Spear Mint" he said, softly, not taking his eyes off of the trapped man, "check Lamb". Spear Mint, who had accompanied him through the portal nodded and started to untie Lamb, helping her into a sitting position and covering her nakedness with her wings and a blanket.

"She's ok" said Spear Mint. "I think she's been given something though, some sort of paralytic". Jago nodded and turned to Spear Mint.

"Can you watch this bastard for me?" Spear Mint nodded. Jago stood and crossed to Lamb, placing his forehead against hers. "_Sorry I took so long to get here" _he sent to her. "_And I'm sorry that I left"._

_"Master"_ Lamb sent back happily. Jago wrapped his arms around her and lifted her clear of the bed, still wrapped in the blanket. He turned back to Spear Mint. "How is he?" he asked, indicating Toshiyuki.

"He's bleeding heavily but he'll probably survive, provided we get that we throw a tourniquet on his wrist". Jago nodded.

"Do it. Use his belt".

"Why?"

"Well, I know that he's a bastard but I didn't think he would be someone who would try both rape AND murder. I want to find out whether he's working with or for anyone and if so, then who". Spear Mint nodded and whipped off Toshiyuki's belt, using it to bind the severed stump. Meanwhile, Jago turned to Lamb and he smiled. "In the meantime, I may have forgiven you but you and I still need to have a talk. Don't think I'm going to let you off just yet". Lamb managed a smile.

"_Thank you Master"._

*1 Ghurkha war cry, meaning "The Ghurkhas are here!" It even scares the Taliban.


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors Note: I thought that as the last one was a bit dark towards the end, this one should be a little more light hearted. I just hope that I've managed to clear up some of the confusion from some of my earlier chapters with this one. If not then please let me know! Don't worry, soon be back on punchching bad-guys in the face whilest kicking them in the crotch. **

**Chapter 14**

**Two Mothers and an Invitation**

Jago silently closed the bedroom door, leaving Lamb to sleep. Lind turned from her seat on the sofa and smiled.

"How is she?" she whispered. Jago grinned and slipped into the seat next to her as Lind gently laid her head against his chest.

"She's fine" he said. "I've talked to her and we've worked out our problems. She promised that she won't make any more rash decisions like that and that she'll listen to me". His face then fell into a frown and he scowled to himself.

"What's that face for?" she asked.

"Just thinking".

"About what?"

"Jupiter". Lind raised her head slightly off of his chest and looked him in the face.

"Jupiter? You mean Papa Jupiter?" Jago nodded.

"Aye, that bastard" he said. Lind sat up straight, her face serious.

"What about him?" She paused. "Is this about that… thing with Aegis Shield?"

"Partly" said Jago. "Breaking out of that shield showed me just how powerful that alter ego could be. However, it also worries me".

"Worries you? How?" Jago looked at her as if she was mad.

"Lind" he said, trying to remain calm, "I tried to kill you. If Skuld hadn't intervened when she did, then the chances are that you and I wouldn't be having this conversation". Lind nodded.

"I see" she said. "You're worried about whether you are a threat to me and our friends, am I right?" Jago nodded. "Don't worry" she said, "back then, I had used most of my boosters to try and slow the golem and because of that, I wasn't at full strength. If it came to a fight, I am confident that I would be able to stop you before you could hurt anyone".

"Are you sure? I punched my way out of an Aegis Shield remember. Now, I'm not sure how tough Aegis is but they I'm guessing pretty tough". Lind nodded, slow and thoughtful.

"Just about the toughest defensive spell out there. Very few have the power to penetrate one. However…" she said and brushed aside the hair that covered her ear, revealing the power-limiting circlets that were located there. "If you were truly bent on destruction then I would remove my power-limiter. Without it, I feel certain that I could defeat you".

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Won't that get you into more trouble than you're already in?" Lind shrugged.

"It would be a small price to pay if it meant that I could save both you and our friends". Jago nodded but there still something that bothered him.

"There's something else" he said. "The frequency of Jupiter's emergences…. They're getting more common. I mean normally, it could be months between his appearances but now, I've had two in the four months that I've known you and my angels. If I don't find a way to control them-"he started to say but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They both turned to see Damascus who was standing in the kitchen, wiping blood from her fingers with a rag. "Ah, Damascus" Jago said, "how is our guest?" Damascus held up a still sticky hand.

"How do you think?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"Stupid question I guess. But did you get anything out of him?" Damascus wrinkled her brow.

"Usual stuff. Screams. Pleads for mercy. Various… bodily fluids". Lind grimaced. She didn't approve of those kinds of methods but she had to admit that under these exceptional circumstances, they were an exceptional way of extracting information. Especially since he had appeared to have a phenomenally powerful mind-shield. Even Belldandy had initially refused to treat Toshiyuki's missing hand after he had tried to rape Lamb but they had all agreed that they needed him to survive long enough for him to be interrogated. Damascus had volunteered to take care of the interrogation, partly because she had experience with torture that ensured that he would survive and partly because she was a sadistic devil who wanted to get revenge on the man who had tried to rape her sister. She had at first tried to extract the information from Toshiyuki's mind but had quickly discovered that he had had a Level One mind-shield put into place and so had resorted to using her claw-like nails.

"Is that all?" Jago asked her. She shook her head.

"There was one thing" she said. "Most of what I was trying to get at seems to have been data protected so I couldn't find out much. However, he did mention a name; Kronos". Lind's head shot up.

"Kronos? Are you sure?" Damascus nodded.

"If it's the same Kronos I think it is, then we could have a major problem" the devil said.

"Am I missing something here?" Jago asked, glancing between the two. "Who the Hell is Kronos?"

"Kronos was a Titan" said Lind. "One of the Old Gods who ruled before the creation of Heaven, Hell and the other realms. To be specific, he was the leader of these Old Gods and was the last of them to fall when we rebelled against him".

"But he's sealed" said Damascus. "I was there. He was imprisoned in Ginnungagap; the impenetrable prison between worlds and is unable to return". Jago was silent for a while, digesting this information but then he remembered something.

"How impenetrable is this prison?" he asked.

"Not even the combined power of the Almighty and Hild together could penetrate Ginnungagap" said Lind. "Why?"

"Something that Lamb's old Mistress said, the day I met her. She said that she had to deliver a message to someone. Something about Kronos. A warning for "Them" she said and I think that might be what she was killed for".

"Are you sure?" Lind asked. Jago nodded. "In that case, I think we need to talk to the Almighty directly". She stood to leave. "Damascus, see what else you can find out from Mr Aoshima. See if he says anything else about Kronos. Jago, you and I need to talk to Belldandy and try and contact the Almighty. If what you say is true then we need access to Lamb's memories". Jago nodded and they left for the main temple, leaving Damascus to mull over what had been said. But not just about Kronos. Also about what Jago had said about Jupiter. Perhaps it was time? Yes. She would wait for Lamb to wake, she would collect the Mint Sisters and then, together they would tell Jago and Lind their secret. But first, she had a job to do. She left Jago's house and headed towards the forge, where Toshiyuki was being held. However, before she had even arrived, she knew that something was wrong. Eir and Saga, who had been posted guard to stop him from escaping were missing. So to were their angels. Damascus ran over to the doorway and looked inside, seeing the four missing guards lying sprawled across the floor, unconscious but otherwise ok. However, they were not the most immediate problem: Toshiyuki was gone!

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Belldandy listened intently to what was said and she nodded.

"I agree, if what you say about Kronos is true then we must contact the Almighty immediately". She stood and left the room, heading for the temple phone. The rest of the temple residents sat in silence, hoping to listen in on the conversation. However, a worryingly short time later, Belldandy returned. "I can't make the call go through. There must be something wrong with the communications".

"So now what do we do?" asked Bob, discreetly squeezing Chrono's hand. Jago noticed and gave Chrono a sly wink, causing her to blush but they both remained silent.

"Perhaps I could make a suggestion" Mara said. "Although I'm not sure that you'll like it".

"And what might that be?" asked Lind.

"She's talking about calling Hild, aren't you?" Jago said. Mara nodded.

"That's right. If what you say about that message is true, then it seems likely that it was meant to be delivered to both Lady Hild and the Almighty".

"Then why would she come to Earth?" asked Peorth. "Why didn't she just deliver it straight to them?"

"Well that should be obvious" said Jago. "As she was a Heavenly Praetorian, then she would have first tried to go to the Almighty but if something were to happen that would prevent her from reaching him in time to warn him then it seems likely that she would have tried to warn Lady Hild".

"That makes sense" said Belldandy, "Especially as Hild still visits on occasion. If she had been able to reach us then she would have been safe at least until we could get word to Hild". Jago nodded and then tossed his phone to her.

"Well whatever the reason, we had better contact her. Bell, if you would do the honours?" Belldandy nodded and left the room. However, she was quickly replaced by Damascus, who arrived panting.

"Damascus? What's wrong?" asked Urd. "Aren't you supposed to be guarding that rat Toshiyuki?" Damascus shook her head.

"That's just the problem!" she said. "He's gone" and she tossed a set of keys to Jago who caught them. They were keys for a Ferrari Enzo. "And seeing as he left these behind, I think he might have had help!"

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The darkened room between dimensions. A scream. Toshiyuki's scream. He screamed in agony as the dark energy coursed through him, flowing from the hand of the unseen man.

"NO! STOP! I BEG YOU!"

"Why?" the man asked. "You failed me as a spy" he said flatly. "I promised you Belldandy in return for helping to kill the Arch and what do I get? My precious Unkillable first defeated and then destroyed thanks to the failure of your man to lure Twoarchs into the right place and then, we give you another chance. What could have gone wrong? With her master out of the way, all you had to do was inject her and then kill her. But no, you let your lust get in the way and Jago was able to save her before you could kill her!"

"BUT PLEASE! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" The waved his hand and dispelled the energy bolt.

"Not your fault? NOT YOU FAULT!" He stood, crossed the room and lifted Toshiyuki bodily from the floor. "THIS IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! BECAUSE OF YOU, OUR ENTIRE PLAN HAS BEEN PUT INTO JEPODY! BECAUSE OF YOU, THE DAIMANKAICHO NOW ALMOST CERTAINLY KNOWS THAT THERE IS A TRAITOR IN HEAVEN!"

"Calm yourself my Lord" the woman said. "Just kill the human and have done with it". The man turned to her, his face burning with rage but then nodded. Without another word, he lowered Toshiyuki to the found and pulled his sword out from under his cloak.

"No!" said Toshiyuki as the man lifted his blade and aimed it his neck. "Please no! No! NOOOOOO!" The man stepped back from Toshiyuki's body as his head slowly spun across the floor and wiped his blade on his expensive green suit.

"Humans! Bah!" he said and rung a bell that was located on the table. The sound summoned a Praetorian, her armour decorated in the style of Heaven and she bowed to the man.

"Lord Deaderuss" she said. "You summoned me?" Deaderuss nodded.

"Yes Weth. Is there any news from the Jötunns about Kayrune's foolish rescue mission?" The Praetorian nodded.

"Yes my Lord. The Valkyries were intercepted by our forces well before they reached the Jötunnberg. I dispatched Kayrune myself". Deaderuss nodded.

"Good work my apprentice. Now, if you wouldn't mind disposing of this body?" he said, indicating the headless Toshiyuki. "Feed it to the Jötunns". Weth nodded and dragged the body from the room. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Your new apprentice seems adequate. She may yet prove useful. But is it wise to use your own apprentice as air-defence for the Jötunns? What if more Valkyries are sent?" Deaderuss snorted.

"Lady Angrboða, need I remind you that she is not alone? I control every Praetorian in Heaven and you those of Hell? Even if they dispatched the entire Valkyrie corps to Jötunnheim, without Lind they lack the power and experience to defeat us! Especially with the backing of the Jötunns!" Angrboða nodded but remained unconvinced.

"That may be true but what of Valmeyar and the Fourth cohort? They are still loyal to the Almighty, are they not? They could prove a powerful enemy if we strike now. And what of Twoarchs? He single-handedly defeated the Unkillable, even after the failure of all of his allies and even his own angel. Surely he is more of a threat than anyone?" Deaderuss was silent for a second, considering what Angrboða had just said.

"Perhaps you are right" he said. "I can deal with Valmeyar and her forces if we were to strike quickly but this human is proving to be a thorn. With those Archs at his side, he is more powerful than any single Praetorian".

"Plus there is that alter ego of his, this "Papa Jupiter". I don't know how strong he is but he can certainly do some damage".

"This I already know" said Deaderuss irritably, eyeing his devilish counterpart. Angrboða commanded Hell's Praetorians in much the same way that he did for Heaven and while he despised her almost as much as Lind, he knew that she was to be his staunchest ally when it was finally time to strike. Not only that but her tactical genius, when coupled with his fighting skill meant that they would be a potent force that even the combined strength of Hild and the Almighty would be unable to defeat. So he would listen to her plans and between them, they would bring the Oldest Storm.

"Well then, perhaps I can make a suggestion?" she offered. "We need to know the full strength of this human if we are to fight him, am I right? We have tried subterfuge via the Angel-Eater and we have tried brute force via the Unkillable. Then perhaps we should simply try observation?"

"What are you getting at?" Angrboða flicked her wrist and summoned a letter.

"I have a feeling that they will attempt to contact the Almighty and try to warn him about Kronos and when they do, we will inform Lind that she has received a temporary reprieve. Remind me, exactly when are the Deity Games scheduled again?" Deaderuss's face cracked into a grin.

"Two weeks. Now I understand what you are saying; we invite them to participate, Lind included, on the condition that they bring Twoarchs with them. Whilst here, we can at least get a full measure of his strength and from there, we can plan our next move". Angrboða nodded.

"My plan exactly. However, once he is here, should we deal with him? And if so, what should we use?" Deaderuss thought for a second.

"We will deal with him here. And to do it, we will use Gandamak!" Angrboða grinned.

"Gandamak? Yes, he should be more than sufficient to defeat the human, even if we fail to determine his full strength. Very well the, I will deliver the invitation myself and from there, we shall see how it things pan out".

"Kronos must rise" said Angrboða.

"Kronos must rise" agreed Deaderuss.

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Hild reclined in thin air as she listened to Jago's story, nodding occasionally as he spoke. At last she raised a hand.

"I see" she said. "Well it seems to me that we have some common ground here. If Kronos is really trying to return and Lamb's Mistress was really trying to warn me then I suppose that it is only right that I should try and help find the one who killed her". There were few people in the room, most scared off by the presence of the Daimankaichō. Only Jago, Lind and Belldandy, plus their attending angels including the recently awakened Lamb were present, although it was pretty certain that Urd and World of Elegance would be somewhere nearby, just in case they were needed. However, so far Hild had shown no hostile intent and probably wouldn't as long as Lind was present.

"Thank you Lady Hild" said Jago, bowing his head slightly. "However, there is something that bothers me; those monsters that attacked us". Hild nodded.

"I agree. While the Unkillable was under Heaven's control, the Angel-Eater was clearly under the control of a demon. And before you say anything Lind, no it wasn't me. I was busy at the time, trying to restore Nidhogg to full operations. However, this raises the pressing issue that there are at least TWO traitors out there, one in Heaven and one in Hell, with at least one being strong enough to kill a Praetorian Arch with a single blow".

"Yes, that is a problem" said Belldandy. "Is there anyone you can think of in Heaven who might have that kind of power Lind?" Lind shook her head.

"Only the Almighty, the members of the High Council and perhaps a few of the senior Praetorians would be able…" she said but slowly faded away. Hild nodded.

"That's what I thought. It's likely that whoever it is, is member of Heaven's Praetorian Guard" she said and then paused, thinking. "I'll inform the Almighty directly but in all honesty, I don't think that it will do much good; the Praetorians are notoriously secretive but with luck, Lord Deaderuss may be able to uncover something for us". Lind shuddered at the mention of her former commander and Jago gently laid on her shoulder, rubbing her brand-scar with his thumb. Lind could feel his feelings through the contact and smiled as he offered her sympathy and comfort.

"_Thank you"_ she mentally told him and then returned her attention to Hild. "Alright Hild, do what you think is best. However, if attempt to double-cross us then you will be answerable to me". Hild nodded.

"That seems fair. Now then, since we've got that out of the way, perhaps we can move onto another matter?"

"What other matter?" Keiichi asked. "I thought you were only here to receive the warning". Hild sighed.

"Keiichi dear, you really are dense aren't you?" she said. "If that were simply the case then you could have told me over the phone and I wouldn't have bothered to turn up here". She turned to Jago. "No, the real reason I'm here is old Twoarchs here" she said. "You've been causing us in Hell no end of trouble you know?" Jago blinked.

"I thought you said that you had nothing to do with the Angel-Eater? At least, not recently". Hild shook her head.

"It's not that I'm worried about. I needed to speak to you personally about something".

"And what could that be?" Lind asked, beginning to tense. If she were a dog, then her hackles would be up and she would be starting to growl. Hild winked.

"It's simple; I need to talk to him about Papa Jupiter".

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Hild had a rather difficult problem; Papa Jupiter as it turned out, was incredibly powerful. He was also undeniably evil. So evil in fact that during his last appearance, he had almost cause Hell's computer, Nidhogg to explode. It had only been Skuld's timely intervention that had prevented it from failing completely. Now, while a massive increase in evil in the world would normally be a good thing for the minions of Hell, in this case it cause more harm than good; it raised the level of evil in the world without doing anything to the level demonic energy shares. And this meant that Jupiter had the potential to destabilise the already delicate relationship between Heaven and Hell. To put it simply, something had to be done.

"Well Jago, what would you suggest?" Hild asked. Jago thought for a while.

"Well the obvious solution would be to find me some sort of power limiter" he said. "I mean, if Jupiter is really that strong then it would be best if I had a limit put on his powers".

"That might not be such a good idea" said Lamb. "Jupiter was the only one who could cause permanent damage to that Unkillable. I mean no offence Master but if Keiichi hadn't mentioned that clay disk again then you would never have found a way to defeat it without reverting to Jupiter again". Jago nodded.

"Point taken" he said. "So a limiter is out of the question?" Collective nods. He sighed. "Alright Hild, I'm going to ask; what did you have in mind?" Hild gave a look of mock surprise.

"Me? Why would think that I would have a plan?"

"Please don't play games" Jago said. "You wouldn't have come unless you had some solution in mind". Hild smiled.

"That's very observant Twoarchs" she said. "Very well, my plan is simple: Paladin".

"NO FUCKING WAY!" shouted Lind, leaping to her feet and preparing herself for a fight. Her angels rose beside her, ready to fight. Hild placed two fingers to her lips and blew a kiss at Lind, sending what appeared to be a "Spade" card character at her. Lind and Belldandy both countered simultaneously, sending a "Club" and a "Heart" respectively. The two struck Hild's spade at the same time, sending the three shapes ricocheting around the room. Before they could hurt anyone, Jago's hands shot out, catching the three shapes out of clean air.

"No fighting!" he said and tossed the characters into the corner, making the two goddesses look away sheepishly. He then turned to the now grinning Hild. "Now what was this you were saying? Something about a Paladin?" Lind turned sharply to look at him.

"No Jago! I will not let you do it! Even if Jupiter is that much of a threat then-"she said but was suddenly stopped as Hild cast a silencing spell on her. She gasped and coughed as her voice was blocked by the Daimankaichō who had turned to Belldandy.

"Bell dear, would you care to explain to our friend here what the Paladin is?" Belldandy nodded and turned to Jago, her face unusually grave.

"Jago, the Paladin is the balancing entity and guardian spirit for all of the Earth and the surrounding worlds. He- or she can be of any race and any sentient species. The position provides the user with immense power; in the same league as that of a member of the High Council, taking whatever power they currently have and matching it with that of an opposite being. In this case, it would take Papa Jupiter's power and would match it with Heavenly power".

"Hang on a second; I thought we were trying to make me less powerful, not more so!"

"Correction" said Hild, "we need to limit the amount of evil power that Jupiter can produce. By counteracting this with Heavenly energy, Jupiter would either be removed or if you chose to summon him, then he would have an equal quantity of both good and evil would render him neutrally aligned". Jago nodded.

"Ok, that sounds fair. What's the catch though?"

"Life expectancy" said Damascus. "As Paladin, you and by that, I mean we, would be tasked to protect this world from the most powerful forces in all of existence. To become Paladin is considered suicidal by most, due to the fact that many don't even survive the initial test".

"What's that then?" Jago asked.

"Usually some sort of quest" said Lamb. "Normally it would involve something like trying to track down an unusually powerful monster or some rouge deity and defeating them in single combat. The members of the Midguard Council; the rulers of each realm and race and their most powerful servants, will then gather and they will vote on whether the chosen is worthy of becoming Paladin. Only then will a Paladin be accepted". Jago nodded and he turned to Lind.

"That was what you were trying to say wasn't it?" Lind nodded, still unable to speak. Jago leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek, causing Hild to raise an eyebrow. "Thank you for your concern" he said and he turned to face the Daimankaichō. "So basically, you want me to sign up to some suicide deal that will probably get me killed within the next few weeks, am I right?" Hild nodded and Jago grinned. "Alright then, I'm in".

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The rest of the discussion was surprisingly brief. Hild removed Lind's silencing spell and despite her best attempts to persuade him otherwise, Jago remained determined; he would become Earth's Paladin or he would die trying. At last, she agreed to support him and she left to tell the others what had been discussed. Belldandy and Holybell also left as they still had dinner to prepare, leaving Jago, his Archs and Hild alone. Jago blew out loudly thorough his lips and rubbed his face.

"Something the matter?" Hild asked. Jago grinned.

"You could say that. Not every day a guy basically signs his own death warrant". Hild nodded.

"Well, I can tell you this; if you survive long enough for the vote to take place, then you will receive my full backing and as such, probably most of the backing of Hell". She paused and cocked her head. "That's not the only thing that's bothering you, is it?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Jago asked.

"I'm the Daimankaichō" she said. "If I couldn't tell that something was wrong with someone then I wouldn't be worth my name, never mind my title. Now let me guess. Is it Lind?" Jago nodded.

"Got it in one" he said. "She's been acting strangely for the last few weeks. More aggressive. More tearful. And she still seems to have a stomach upset. I mean, I know she tries to hide it but she's still sick in the mornings. It worries me". Hild snorted.

"You really are a daft bastard aren't you?" she asked.

"How so?" Jago asked. Damascus stepped between them.

"I think I should tell him" she said to Hild and Hild nodded.

"As you wish" she said. Damascus turned to Jago and gave an awkward smile.

"Master, Lamb and I know exactly what is wrong with Mistress Lind. So do Spear Mint and Cool Mint but we swore them to secrecy until we could be sure and until we thought that the information was needed. In fact, we hoped that either Mistress Lind would realise what the problem was before we had to tell you but as things have worked out, it would be better that the pair of you know now, rather than later".

"What are you talking about Damascus?" Jago said, looking confused.

"Master, do you remember back to when you asked me to scan Lind for Norovirus? Well, what we never told you was that we found… something else". Jago cocked his head.

"Wah?" Hild face-palmed and sighed.

"You really are dense aren't you?" she said. "Lamb, perhaps you would care to explain?" Lamb nodded. She told Jago in three words.

"Yahwhatnot?" Jago said slowly, trying to fully comprehend what he had just been told. Lamb told him again. Jago sat silently for a while and then he finally stood. "I think I need a drink" he said. "No, wait. I need Lind. I need to find out for myself. Damascus, would you be able to show me? So that I can be certain?" Damascus nodded and she followed her dazed Master out of the room, followed by Lamb.

"Astrakhan Lamb" Hild called out to the angel. "Be careful. Keep Jago alive. And don't get yourself killed. I may be a heartless demon but I like your Master and I respect Damascus, so I am counting on you to keep them safe. Lind too. She may be a pain in the arse but she is more useful to me alive rather than dead". Lamb nodded and left Hild alone in the room. The demon sat quietly, hovering in mid-air and slowly pondering recent developments. A new Paladin? Perhaps. A threat from an old foe? Certainly. And a traitor. A traitor within her own ranks. She grinned and started to dematerialise herself. She would have to come back soon; things were getting interesting!

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The tearoom went silent as Jago entered the room. All eyes turned to him.

"Well? Is it true?" Gorgeous Rose asked. "Are you really going to try for the rank of Paladin?" Jago nodded.

"Well it should certainly be… interesting" said Urd. "To my knowledge, there has never been a human Paladin before. Plenty of gods and goddesses. Plenty of demons too. Lots of Earth spirits. Dwarfs, yes. Elves. Lorelei. Even trolls. But never a human". She grinned. "Perhaps this calls for a drink? Jago, are you in?" Jago, his face blank, shook his head.

"Not yet" he said. "Lind, could I borrow you?" Lind nodded and they left the room, leaving everyone confused.

"I hope he isn't ill" said World of Elegance. "I have never known Jago to refuse a drink before".

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"Lind" Jago said, "Could you lift up your shirt for a second?" Lind gave him a questioning look.

"It's a bit early isn't it?" she said. "I mean, I don't mind but usually you wait until we go to bed before-".

"No! Not that!" said Jago with a chuckle. "No, I just need to see your stomach".

"Ok but why?" she said, slowly lifting her shirt. Jago grinned.

"You're still suffering from morning vomiting spells, right?" Lind nodded. "Well, I think that we might now know what the problem is. I just need Damascus to help me perform a scan and then we can be sure". Lind nodded and Jago rested a hand gently on her stomach. Damascus laid her hand over the top of his and it began to glow. Jago felt the power flowing from his devil, through his hand and into his lover as the scan passed through her, searching for what was there. Then he sensed it. That which by all rights should not have been there. But it was. And he smiled. Jago removed his hand and wrapped his arms around Lind, pulling her into a crushing bear hug.

"Ok? Did I do something? Or is something wrong?" Jago stepped back and ginned. It was the widest, most heartfelt smile Lind had ever seen on his face, no small feat considering how much he smiled.

"No Lind, nothing is wrong. In fact, things could not be more right!"

"What do you mean?" Lind said. Jago turned to Damascus.

"Damascus, could you do the honours?" The devil nodded and took a confused Lind's hand and laid it against her stomach, starting another scan.

"Damascus, what are you doing? It's my stomach, there's nothing of interest the-"Lind said but then she stopped. She had felt it. A heartbeat. A tiny heartbeat that was not her own. She released a hold of Damascus's hand and took a step back, stunned.

"Did you feel it?" Jago asked her. Lind nodded and Jago grinned.

"I don't understand" said Lind. "What is it?"

"Lind. Dearest Lind" said Jago, pulling her into another hug, "you're pregnant. You are pregnant with our child!"

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Everyone was overjoyed by the announcement that Lind was pregnant. The goddesses all crowded around Lind, all wanting a chance to congratulate her and to be allowed their own scan of the baby. Before long, one thing was made certain; the baby was a boy. Jago and Lind were going to have a son. It was only after Belldandy had insisted that they leave her alone that she and Jago were able to depart. They were finally alone; Bob having retired to bed, stinking drunk after he had realised that he was going to be an uncle and their angels having departed in order to give their Master and Mistress some time alone. And so, they lay together, stretched out across the sofa, with Lind's head resting on Jago's chest, rising and falling with each breath, while Jago gently massaged her stomach with a free hand. Lind smiled gently as Jago rubbed, truly happy.

"Jago?" she whispered softly.

"Yes?"

"I'm so glad I met you". Jago leaned down and kissed her gently.

"I'm glad I met you too" he said. "To be honest, I'm still reeling".

"Hmm?"

"I mean; a baby. We're going to have a baby!" He grinned and she smiled. "Do you know how far along you are?" he asked.

"Belldandy says about three months" said Lind.

"That makes sense and it would explain why you're still feeling poorly on occasion".

"How's that?"

"Morning sickness. I'm just surprised that I didn't realise it sooner". Lind nodded.

"Don't worry though; I'm as surprised as you are. I never thought that I would be close enough to someone to fall in love, never mind have a child by them. In fact, our baby should be impossible. While there are occasionally mixed race children, I have never heard of a child who is part god and part human". Jago's brow wrinkled slightly.

"What? Never?"

"Not to my knowledge" she said. "I can only assume the fact that my magic is weak and that Spear Mint and Cool Mint are linked to you via the Arch-link has somehow made me human enough for it to happen". Jago nodded and laid his head back down, thinking.

"You say two months?" he asked. "That means he was conceived in April and…" he counted off on his fingers, "and he'll be born in December".

"Not quite" said Lind. "For a goddess, pregnancy lasts for twenty-two months which would mean…" Lind paused and thought. "We will have a son not next January but the one following that. In fact, it won't even start to show for another five months". They then returned to silence as they each considered the future. At last, Jago spoke.

"Lind?"

"Yes?"

"About the Paladin thing…"

"I want you to do it" she said. Jago was shocked.

"What? I thought you were dead set against it?" Lind nodded.

"I was. But now, I want you to do it".

"Is it Jupiter? Are you worried he might-".

"No, it's not Jupiter". Lind raised herself off of Jago's chest and she looked him in the face. "Jago let me tell you something about goddesses; during pregnancy our bodies and powers become stronger. It's mostly because children for immortals are so rare; it's incredibly rare for us to become mothers but when it happens, our bodies adapt to protect our unborn children. These powers are kept sealed until we realise that we are going to be mothers but now that I know, I have become much stronger. Strong enough to defeat Jupiter if I must". Jago nodded.

"Then why?" he asked.

"Because of the very nature of our child; he will be alone in the world. Unique and special, yes but alone. An outcast. The bastard son of a disgraced Valkyrie Captain and human Arch-thief".

"That was harsh" said Jago. "Although I will admit that you have a point. So you want me to try for the Paladin after all?" Lind nodded.

"Yes. Neither of us have a name that would bring anything but stigma for our son. But for the son of the Paladin… Now that is something that any son would be proud of. Even if you fail in the attempt, he will still be the son of someone who tried for the Paladin rank. It wouldn't be much but it would be better than nothing". Jago nodded.

"Alright then; I'll become the Paladin, for the sake of our son". Lind smiled and she laid her head back on Jago's chest. "There is one thing though Lind" Jago said as she made herself comfortable against him. "Well, two things really".

"Hmm?"

"Well I may not be particularly religious, which may be an odd thing to say for someone who's living with a beautiful ex-Valkyrie war goddess but there you go. However, I would like to make sure that if something happens to me that you and the baby are looked after".

"You're talking about godparents aren't you?" Lind asked.

"Yes".

"Well if you feel that it is right then yes, you can choose our son some godparents. Did you have anyone in particular in mind?" Jago nodded.

"Yes. I thought I would ask Keiichi to be godfather".

"I think that would be a good idea. He has agreed to be my lifelong friend and I know that he would give his life to protect any one of us. Yes, ask Keiichi. What about the godmother?"

"Ah. Now you might not like this; I was going to ask Urd to be godmother".

"Urd? Are you sure? Not Belldandy?" Jago shook his head.

"No. I like Belldandy, I really do but she is far too innocent. I doubt that she would be able to protect our son as well as Urd would. And I can't ask Skuld or Chrono; they're too young and inexperienced. I suppose that I could ask Peorth but-".

"I will not have Peorth as our son's godmother!" said Lind with some finality. She shuddered, thinking of lollipops and thermometers. Jago nodded.

"I know, she wouldn't work. Plus, she would probably have to go back to Heaven at some point and I would rather have our son's godmother close at hand in case she was needed. That leaves Eir, Saga, Mara and Urd". Lind nodded.

"I see. In that case, yes Urd would be the most suitable person to be godmother".

"I'm glad you agree" said Jago.

"What about this other thing?" Lind asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"You said there were two things you wanted to ask me".

"Oh yes, I did". He cleared his throat. "Lind as we are having a baby-".

"You're not going to propose are you?" Lind asked.

"What? No!"

"Good".

"Ok, where was I? Oh yes! Lind, I think it would be best if I meet your mother and also for you to meet mine". Lind stiffened at the thought of Jago meeting her mother but she nodded.

"Ok Jago. I shall endeavour to let you meet Lady Valmeyar. And I look forward to meeting your mother".

"Thank you" said Jago. They fell into silence. After a while, Lind drifted off into sleep, a contented smile on her face. Jago too smiled and reached down to brush a stand of powder-blue hair off of her face. "Oh Lind" he whispered. "Little Lind. I love you my Lind". He kissed her gently and settled back, drifting off to sleep, happy for the first time in so many years.

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The next day, just as everyone was sitting down to breakfast, something unusual happened; a letter arrived. It had come at the same time as the rest of the post, mixed in with the usual bank statements as well as the newest copy of Skuld's Dobon Manga Monthly that Peorth promptly stole. Belldandy gave smiled as the two started to bicker and handed the letter to Jago.

"Something for you today Mister Jago" she said. "It's odd; it says that it's from Heaven". Jago snorted and took a sip of coffee.

"Heaven? Why would they being sending me a letter?" he said, slitting the envelope with his pocket knife. He flicked the letter open and started to read. He stopped. "Guys?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Listen to this; _Dear Mister Jago Finch_

_I am writing to you on the behalf of Lord Tyr, the current Almighty in order to extend an invitation unto you. As a gesture of friendship extended to the human race, you are hear by cordially invited to participate in the upcoming Deity Games, which are to be held in Heaven in two weeks' time. While we have yet to invite a human participate, we have recently learned of your intent to apply for the rank of Paladin. As such, we would deem it wise to attend so as it provide some insight into your powers, so as to aid in the voting process that may ultimately lead to your inauguration. As part of the bargain, your attendance will lift all former penalties placed upon Goddess First Class, Special Category, Limited Licence Lind and restore her full rank and privileges as a Captain of the Valkyrie corps. In return, we humbly request that not your attendance but also that of all goddesses, demons and Archs currently residing within the Tarikihongan Temple. You are also welcome to bring any human guests who you see fit although it should be noted that you will be held accountable for any disruption that they may cause. Please contact us via the listed number so that we either confirm or deny your attendance and participation. _

_Yours Sincerely_

_Lady Anzus_

_Goddess Aggregate, Principal Representative_

_Heaven". _

Jago laid the letter down and looked around the room that had suddenly filled with stunned silence.

"Well" he said, "do I dare refuse?"

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"I think the problem isn't "if" you should go but "how" you should get there" said Peorth. "I mean, the Deity Games are truly spectacular and to represent ones race is just about the highest honour that any being could ever wish for".

"What exactly are the Deity Games?" asked Skuld.

"Think… Olympics for the magically inclined" said Urd. "Basically, representatives of every major race gather together and compete at various events to see which is the most powerful".

"I'm guessing we're not talking running, swimming and cycling" said Jago.

"Nope" said Lind. "More like broomstick riding, metal-working and one-on-one fighting".

"Sounds like fun" said Jago. "Any of you ever take part?"

"I did" said Belldandy. "I still the speed record for the broomstick race and I've won three gold's in the singing competition".

"I have five gold's and two silvers" said Lind with a touch of pride. "Mostly combat or strength orientated tests although I also came second in the courage test". Jago nodded.

"I'm impressed" he said. "But why hasn't Skuld ever seen one?"

"They only take place every thousand years" said Urd. "Besides, the last one was held in Álfheimr, which is the home of Fairies and Earth Spirits and Skuld would have been too young to travel". Jago blinked.

"How old are you Skuld?" he asked.

"In Earth years, I'm about a thousand years old" she said.

"One-thousand and twenty-seven to be exact" said Belldandy. "So Jago, can we assume that you will take part in the games?" Jago wrinkled his brow. He turned to Bob, who nodded and gave the thumbs up. Lind nodded. The Mint Sisters nodded. Damascus didn't nod but she winked a yes. Finally, Jago turned to lamb.

"Well Lamb? Should we do it? Do you think we can win?" Lamb thought for a second and then grinned.

"We'll win or we'll die trying!"

"I like your attitude!" Jago said and he stood. "I'm gonna make the call and tell Lady Anzus that we're a'commin!" He turned to Skuld and Noble Scarlet. "While I'm at it, do you think you could work with Lamb and see about jury-rigging something that could get us to Heaven and back without killing us?" Skuld nodded thought for a second.

"Can I take apart your C-130 to make my device?" she asked. Jago winced.

"I would rather you didn't but if you can if you must. Just remember that if you do, I retain the right to name the machine". Skuld grinned and disappeared, Lamb trailing reluctantly behind her. "It's amazing" said Jago. "She's grumpy for so much of the time but then, as soon as it's time to take something to bits then, she brightens up lie a firework". He shook himself. "Anyway, time to make a call".

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Lady Anzus sat quietly in her office, massaging away a headache. It had been a stressful day for Heaven's number two and it didn't look like it was going to get any less stressful in the near future. Yggdrasil's support systems were still on the blink and even the most powerful of Heaven's techies; the computer Archs had been unable to break through the barrier that the Jötunn virus had created around itself. She was having to organise the Deity Games as best she could without much help from the Almighty as he was in almost constant communications with either Lord Deaderuss, Lady Hild or the head of Hell's Praetorian Guards; Lady Angrboða, trying to organise a combined effort that might recover Bifrost from the Jötunns. They had tried once, sending a team of Deep-Strike Valkyries under the command of Captain Kayrune on an infiltration mission to try and recover the lost Gate but they were now MIA, presumed KIA and they couldn't risk another mission due to the risk of sparking an open war with the Jötunns. The only conciliation that the same virus that had knocked out Yggdrasil had also done the same to Nidhogg, meaning that Hell was effectively sealed off as well, with only an handful of the most powerful demons being able to move between Hell and Earth.

She sighed to herself as her phone rang, expecting to have yet another system bug reported to her.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked with exasperation.

"Lady Anzus, we have a call for you. Someone called Jago Finch is trying to contact you" said her secretary.

"Who?" said Anzus. "I don't know anybody called Jago Finch". The was silence and then the sound of hurried conversation from the other end of the line.

"He's quite insistent my Lady" said the secretary. "He says that you sent him an invitation to the Deity Games and that he's calling to accept it". Anzus's brow wrinkled in confusion as she looked at the stack of invitation letters that covered her desk. While it was true that she personally invited each of the possible representatives for the individual races, she had yet to send any. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

"What race is he? Did he mention who sent the letter?" There was more hurried conversation.

"He says that he's human and that apparently, you sent it. He also says that if there's any confusion over his name, you might know him as Twoarchs". Anzus almost dropped the phone. Twoarchs? How had he managed to get her number? And what was he doing with an invitation to the games? She would have to see to this personally.

"Tell Twoarchs that I'll see to him personally. After that, I want you to contact Lady Valmeyar and inform her that I need an escort to Earth. Tell her that I want her to accompany me personally".

"Very well my Lady" said the secretary and the phone clicked off. She leaned back and rubbed her temples a little. So Twoarchs had received an invitation to the Deity Games? Now this was getting interesting. Plus, it would give her an excuse to see her daughters again. And Keiichi. She snickered to herself. Yes. Keiichi too.

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Lady Valmeyar thrust the blade of her rapier straight towards the chest of her opponent, catching the other Praetorian's axe-blade in her bare left hand. With practiced ease, the tip of her rapier cut through the Praetorian's uniform, just above her heart and then stopped, the tip just pricking the skin and drawing blood.

"Dead" she said to her opponent and then withdrew her sword. "You call yourself a Praetorian? You're sloppy and uncoordinated! Not to mention slow!" The other Praetorian sank to one knee, her head bowed.

"Forgive me Lady Valmeyar" she said. "I still have much to learn". Valmeyar nodded, sheathed her sword and then removed her helmet, shaking out her long, powder-blue hair, turning towards the edge of the training field. She would stop occasionally to watch a particularly interesting match; maybe two of the senior Praetorian's in the middle of a no-holds-barred beat down or a full squadron of Valkyries in a simulated dogfight. But it was the youngsters that really caught her attention: the trainees. Young, uncoordinated and inexperienced they may be but they were full of fire and righteous retribution. They had yet lose that spark of brilliance that too many years of hard fighting had driven from most of their older compatriots. She smiled to herself. Just like she had been when she was their age.

"Lady Valmeyar!" She shook herself and turned to see a rapidly approaching Valkyrie who was making her way across the field towards her.

"Yes trainee?" the Praetorian asked, noting the lack of the silver-wing badge on the young Valkyrie's shoulders. The girl dropped to her knees and lowered her head.

"Lady Valmeyar, Lady Anzus requests your presence immediately" said the trainee. Valmeyar cocked her head.

"Lady Anzus? Did she say why?"

"No my Lady. Only that she was going to Earth and that she required an escort". Valmeyar snorted.

"Does she really need the commander of the Fourth Praetorian Guard for a picnic in Earth?" she asked. The young Valkyrie shivered under the old warrior's withering gaze.

"Probably not my Lady but she was most insistent". Valmeyar sighed and nodded.

"Alright, tell Anzus that I will be there shortly". The Valkyrie nodded and thumped and thumped her right hand against her left shoulder; a sign of respect.

"Thank you my Lady" the trainee said and departed. Valmeyar sighed. It was going to be a long day.

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Jago hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead before turning to Belldandy.

"Well?" she asked. Jago shrugged.

"Not sure" he said. "It's confusing. Apparently, your mother hasn't sent any invitations yet and so she's going to investigate".

"What do you mean investigate?" Keiichi asked.

"I mean; watch out lad, your step-mum is coming to visit". As if on cue, the courtyard outside began to crackle with energy and a beam of light shot skywards as a portal to Heaven was opened. Everyone gathered in expectation, all eyes turned skyward in anticipation of the arrival of Belldandy and Skuld's mother. Jago shielded his eyes and looked up at the beam.

"Hang on a second" he said. "Is it just me or are there two people coming?" Lind stiffened as she looked upwards and recognised the energy signature of the second descending woman.

"Ah, Hell no!" she said.

"What's up Lind?" Bob asked, not taking his eyes off of the pair.

"It's not just Anzus who's coming down. Valmeyar is coming too". Jago jerked his head down to look at her.

"You mean…?"

"Yes, my mother is here too!"

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She was taller than Lind for a start. Whereas Lind was about five-foot-five, Valmeyar was closer to six-foot, almost as tall as Jago. She was also more heavily built than her daughter, with arms that didn't so much show muscles as _suggest_ the presence of muscles, hidden but straining to break free. Her uniform was also different; while Lind's was a white leather jacket with twin tails and twin shoulder attachments, a pair of white leather trousers, white leather boots and white leather gloves with built in brass-knuckles, all trimmed and lined in dark blue, Valmeyar's was far more ornate. Her torso was covered in a suit of ornate scale-mail and a long skirt of a material that resembled cotton but which Lind had assured Jago was stronger than Kevlar. She wore a cloak of the same colour and material across her shoulders, held closed by a simple silver clasp and tucked under her arm, she carried her helmet which was silver, winged and with a golden face mask to protect the eyes during combat. However in her face, she was strikingly similar to her daughter. Her hair was the same shade of powder-blue as Lind's although while Lind's was cut short except for a thin strip on her right side, her mother's was long all the way round. She had the same piercingly blue eyes, the same petite nose and the same thin lips. Her face facial markings; the three circles on her forehead with two above and one below, with single circles on each of her cheeks. A thin scar cut through one of her cheek circles, the only blemish to mar her otherwise perfect skin. The likeness between the two was scary; if he didn't know that this was Lind's mother, he could have sworn that it was the same woman, just ten years older. He couldn't help but stare, at least until Lind gave him a slap on the back of the head.

"She's my mother you know" Lind said irritably. She stepped forward and bowed her head slightly to Valmeyar. "Greeting's "mother" Lind said with obvious distaste.

"Hello Lind" said Valmeyar. "It's been quite a while. We haven't seen each other since you were banished". Lind winced but nodded. Jago sighed. He could sense so much tension between them he could probably cut the air between them with his khukuri.

"Why can't they more like the others?" he muttered to himself as Anzus went through the process of hugging everybody within reach. He snorted. "Well, that just wouldn't be Lind" he said. It was then he realised that Valmeyar was looking directly at him.

"Is that him?" the Praetorian asked her daughter. Lind nodded. Valmeyar stepped around her and walked over to Jago, inspecting him critically. "So this is the reason that my daughter was banished was it?" she said. "I must say, I'm not impressed. My daughter could do so much better than you".

"On Earth, we generally start with hello and then exchange names" said Jago, unfazed the powerful figure in front of him. "However, I may have only known you for thirty seconds and I know little about you beyond what Lind and her angels have told me but I can say this; I have already decided that I don't like you. In fact, I hope that you are attacked by lions on your way home". Valmeyar raised an eyebrow.

"You're very forward aren't you?" she said.

"Better forward than backward" he retorted. They stared at each other for a few more seconds and then Valmeyar took a step back and smiled.

"Well Twoarchs, I can certainly say that I don't like you either but you have certainly earned my respect". She held out her hand. "Lady Valmeyar Iðunn-daughter, commander of the Fourth Praetorian Guard, the "Foe-Hammers", at your service". Jago took her hand in his huge paw and shook it warmly.

"Jago. Jago Finch. Blacksmith, goldsmith, street fighter and general pain in the arse, at yours". He removed his Stetson and bowed his head slightly. "It's an honour to finally meet the mother of the most powerful and beautiful woman I have ever met". Valmeyar nodded.

"It's good to meet you too" she said. She then turned to Lind. "We have much to discuss" she said.

"Such as?"

"Well for one thing, I want to finally meet this second angel of yours, this Cool Mint". She turned to Jago. "And I also want to meet these Archs of yours" she said. "I knew the angel's Mistress personally and I want to do what I can to avenge her". Jago nodded and grinned as she turned back around again to face Lind. "And when exactly were you planning on telling me that I was expecting to become a grandmother?" Lind balked at this, shocked that her mother already knew about her pregnancy. "However, first things first" said Valmeyar and she turned to Anzus. "Lady Anzus, hadn't we better get started? About this mystery letter I mean?" Anzus nodded and smiled.

"Yes, I think we should" she said and she turned back to Belldandy. "Well then, lead on" she said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Tam and the Tanngrisnir**

Lady Anzus set down her cup meaningfully after inspecting the letter, clearly concerned.

"It's odd" she said. "While it does appear to be an official invitation, in my own handwriting and with my signature, I have yet to dispatch any invitations". She paused and looked over the rim of her cup. "And I certainly wasn't planning on sending any to a human, no matter how strong you claim to be". She took a sip of tea. "However, what's done is done" she said. "I suppose that you intend to accept?"

"Possibly" said Jago. "If I did accept, would Lind have her rank and powers restored?"

"Don't worry about me Jago" said Lind. "I can cope without them just fine". Jago turned to her and shook his head.

"No it's part of the deal" he said. "I won't accept if it doesn't mean that you get them back. Remember, I have our baby to think about now; if I were injured or killed either during the Games or during the Paladin test, at least you would be able to look after our son-to-be. Well, at least with the help of Keiichi and Urd". Lind nodded and Valmeyar cleared her throat.

"About that" she said. "Do you really intend to try for the Paladin?" Jago nodded. "And I can assume that there is nothing that I can say about the mind bending horrors you'll have to face that will dissuade you?" He nodded again and she sighed. "In that case, you are either the best or worst person for my daughter to be with now". She eyed Lind's belly for a few seconds. "Especially since you've managed to get her pregnant".

"That's not fair!" said Lind. "Jago didn't-". She stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Bloody hormones" she swore and then started again, more calmly this time. "What I meant to say is that I'm as much to blame as Jago is. And while it's true that I didn't agree with his decision to become Paladin to begin with, now that I know I'm pregnant, I fully support him. After all," she said, throwing her mother a dirty look, "you wouldn't want your grandson to be as much of a social outcast as your daughter was, would you?" Valmeyar stiffened and the two stared daggers at one-another.

"Pipe down you two" said Damascus. "Let's just get things sorted; then you can kill each other, ok?" The two Valkyries nodded and then looked away ashamed.

"Anyway…." said Jago. "Lady Anzus, may I assume that you shall endeavour to keep your end of the bargain?" Anzus nodded.

"Mister Jago, this invitation is effectively a Heavenly contract; binding in both a physical and metaphysical sense. If I were to sign this then I would be bound by law to follow it, even though I did not create it. In other words, if we both sign it then you must endeavour to make it to the Games, bringing the others with you as well and I must endeavour to restore Lind's powers and rank".

"Can you really do that?" Jago asked.

"Mister Jago, I am Goddess Aggregate, Principal Representative and first consort to Lord Tyr, The Almighty One. I am the second most powerful being in all of Heaven and I am the head administrator for all of Yggdrasil's systems. Do you really think I need that I need to ask anyone before restoring your lover's powers?"

"Yes. Yes I do".

"You are very perceptive then" she said. "I would need clearance from The Almighty and I would need Lord Deaderuss's signature. However, after that and providing that you actually show up, I would be fully entitled to restore Lind to her former glory. Would that suit you?" Jago was silent for a minute.

"Where do I sign?" he said.

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By the time that Anzus had returned to Heaven, it had been decided that not only would they be there but most of the temple residents would actually be taking part. In fact they had formed their own team and as such, they would be representing the Earth on behalf of its inhabitants. There was a limit to the number of events that could be entered; three each and in this way, they each played towards their strengths. Belldandy and Peorth had both entered the singing competition and the broomstick race, with the former also entering the wind-magic tests and the latter the earth-magic. Urd had entered two events; fire-magic and potions with Mara also concentrating on fire magic. Eir and Saga were on synchronized spell casting. Chrono and Bob were both in Amateur Class single and double combat. Skuld had chosen to take part in the both the machine making and the metal-working tests, hoping that she would get a chance to try out her new skills as a blacksmith that she had learnt from her time working with Jago. She had briefly considered entering the Amateur Class single combat but had decided against it at the last minute. Keiichi had chosen the machine-based land race, both singles and doubles with Belldandy which had been allowed as he would be the one doing the actual driving. Lind meanwhile had decided to enter three events; the feats-of-strength event, the combat-casting event and the single combat Masters Class. Finally, Jago chose his events. He needed events that would prove his worth and his skills as a potential Paladin and as such he chose metal working, single combat Masters Class and finally, the test of courage. It was this last one that was worrying him.

"What exactly is the test of courage?" Jago asked.

"Well to put it simply, it's a test to see who has the strongest nerve in the face of fear. You are placed in room where there's a mirror and you have to look into it. But it's not an ordinary mirror".

"Let me guess" said Lamb. "It shows us what we fear most". Lind nodded.

"It starts out with just things that creep us out but it slowly builds until it finds what you truly fear and then…"

"Then what?"

"Nothing. The judges will decide the winner based on the reactions that are given by the participants, with higher marks given to those who can go the longest time before cracking".

"Sounds like a challenge" said Jago and then glanced at the clock, giving a small yelp. "Ark! There's another challenge! Getting you all to work on time!"

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Jago's forge rang with the sound of hammers as he rhythmically beat down on the hard iron rod. He was alone; Damascus was busy working on an intricate piece of clockwork for a client and Lamb had departed with Skuld in order to continue modifying Jago's plane into a dimension jumper. He was singing softly to himself as he worked, keeping the beat with the blows of the hammer. However, he wasn't blind to his surroundings and sensed Valmeyar as soon as she slipped in.

"I thought you had left for Heaven" he said with a sigh, straightening and wiping his brow with a cloth, not bothering to turn around. Valmeyar was shocked; there were few who could sense her when she chose to move with stealth. Now that she had been detected though, there was no point in hiding.

"You're better than I expected" she said. "Even the Almighty has trouble sensing me if I move with stealth".

"What about Heimdall?" Jago asked.

"Heimdall? How do you know of him?" Jago shrugged.

"Lind told me about him. How he trained her after…" he said but slowly faded away. Valmeyar sighed.

"You mean after I disowned her?" Jago didn't reply, just shifted his weight slightly and hefted his hammer, bringing it down hard on the iron rod. He worked on in silence for a while, Valmeyar watching him. "You know I didn't want to leave her" she said. Jago ignored her, just kept working. "I had to". Jago stopped mid-blow and sighed.

"Be careful what you say next. If you say it was because of your career then you will lose all respect that I have for you. However-"

"It wasn't for my career!" she interrupted indignantly. "It was… scandal". Jago turned to her, his face in confusion.

"Scandal? What do you mean? Her wing?" Valmeyar shook her head and then pulled a face, as if considering something.

"Jago Finch, can I trust you?" Jago snorted.

"You would be a bloody fool if you did. However, "he said, with a grim look on his face, "as what you're probably about to tell me implicates Lind, you have my word that I won't tell anyone what you are about to tell me". Valmeyar nodded.

"That's good enough for me" she said. "The official reason that I disowned my daughter was because of her single wing. As Lord Deaderuss" she spat, "said, a Praetorian Lord can't be seen to associate with damaged goods". She spat again. "My only daughter? Damaged goods?" She spat again. "I knew she had twin angels all along but I was never allowed to tell anyone; Lind had to think that she was cast aside".

"But why?" said Jago. "What scandal could be so bad that my Lind had to be disowned by her own mother?"

"It was her father" said Valmeyar sadly. "It was not his fault either though. He wanted to keep her as his daughter but he was outvoted by the High Council. It nearly broke him. But even Lord Tyr can't go against the rule of the High Council". Jago looked shocked.

"Lord Tyr? You mean…?"

"Yes" said Valmeyar flatly. "Lind was the Almighty's second daughter".

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Jago took a few minutes to digest this new information.

"Lind? My Lind? She is the daughter of the Almighty?" Valmeyar nodded.

"Yes. Like I said, she was his second daughter, born shortly before Belldandy was". Jago was reeling, his head spinning.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said. "Wait a minute! Lind is really the daughter of the Almighty?" Valmeyar sighed.

"Yes Mister Jago. It's not that hard a concept to grasp" she said with exasperation. Jago shook his head and sat down on one of huge anvils.

"Wait a minute" he said. "I thought that after he and Lady Hild were separated by the Judgement Gate, that he married Lady Anzus, before Urd was born".

"That's true, he did. However," she said with a grim look, "like I said, there was scandal".

"Scandal?"

"Yes. What happened was that after he and Hild were separated, he sought companionship with Lady Anzus, hoping to drown his sorrows. At the time, I was a newly joined Valkyrie and was assigned to his security team as a bodyguard. However, he found me… attractive" she said.

"I get it" said Jago. "You two had an affair together".

"That's right" said Valmeyar. Jago puffed out.

"I suppose that could cause some embarrassment" he said. "But surely it wasn't enough for you to have to disown your own daughter?"

"You're right" she said. "It shouldn't have been. However, there was a complication. You see, Lady Anzus and I both became pregnant at around the same time. Now, Urd was his first daughter and after she left her mother, she came to live in Heaven. However, her half-demon side meant that she could never become the next Almighty, if anything were ever to happen to Lord Tyr".

"I see" said Jago. "So it was a question of succession? Who would get the crown?"

"That's right" said Valmeyar. "And if I had only been a little later with Lind's birth then she would have been safe as Belldandy would have been set to become the next Almighty One. However, fate played a cruel trick and so her fate was sealed".

"How so?" said Jago, pulling out a cigarette. He caught Valmeyar's dirty look and sighed. "I don't smoke around Lind. At least, not anymore and I'm cutting down. So give me a break huh?" He lit up, took a puff and then waved a hand. "Anyway? You were saying something about a cruel trick of fate?"

"Yes. As fate would have, Lind was born first and because of this, she was set to inherit the title of the Almighty. However…"

"I get it" said Jago. "They couldn't have the bastard daughter of God's mistress ruling Heaven, am I right?" Valmeyar nodded.

"That was a cruel way of putting it but yes. If Lind had inherited the throne, the potential embarrassment would have been astronomical". Jago sighed.

"And so you abandoned your own daughter? Valmeyar Iðunn-daughter, you are a cold hearted bitch". Valmeyar nodded.

"I suppose I am" she said. "Remember though, it wasn't my decision. After Lind was born, it was discovered that she had a particular kind of affinity that would allow her to keep twin angels, a characteristic that was shared by her father. As such, it was decided that she would be given twins but unlike others with her power, she wouldn't be taught how to control the pair. She would know they were there but she would only be able to control one of them at any one time". She sighed. "I was allowed to keep her until the day she swallowed her angel's egg and Spear Mint was born, at which point, I would have to disown her so that she would never learn of her true parentage. Her father, Lord Tyr, he begged against it. But the Council was adamant; she had to be disowned. And as I said, even the Almighty has to obey the will of the Council". She sighed. "In return for my silence, I was elevated to the rank of Praetorian Guard and was placed within the ranks of the Fourth cohort. Since then I worked to become the leader of my unit, it hope that one day I might inspire Lind to join also. Don't think that I abandoned her though; I had asked Heimdall to look after her and teach her. It was thanks to him that she has become what she is today".

"I see" said Jago, stubbing out the cigarette. "So this means that our son, when he is born, will be the grandson of the Almighty?" Valmeyar nodded.

"That's right" she said. "However, you must swear that you will never tell anyone. Especially not Lind or her half-sisters. Doing so would be…"

"Ill advised?"

"Yes". Jago nodded.

"I understand the reasoning and I will respect your wishes. However, remember that when I become Paladin, Lind will still be my woman and the mother of my son. I will ensure that any wrong that has been done against her will be undone. And while won't be able to reverse the decisions of the past, I will be putting you on my "hate" list, to be dealt with at a later date". Valmeyar nodded.

"That seems fair enough" she said. "And I hope that you will deal with those who sat on the High Council".

"Don't worry; they're going on the "hit" list". Valmeyar snorted and she grinned at Jago, the same smile that was so rare on Lind that it brightened her whole face.

"I like the sound of that" she said. She turned to leave as Jago went back to work, raising his hammer once more. "Jago" she said as she paused at the doorway, causing him to pause himself, hammer raised.

"Yes?" he said, not turning around.

"Look after my daughter" she said. "This is an order not only form a Praetorian Lady but more importantly, from your mother-in-law and the grandmother of your child-to-be". Jago didn't turn. He just nodded. "Also remember though, my Lord Paladin", making Jago look around at her in surprise, "that so long as you do, you will have my help and the support and loyalty of the Fourth Praetorian cohort". Then she was gone. Jago lowered his hammer and sighed.

"She is quite the character isn't she Master?" said Damascus. "She's definitely Lind's mother".

"How long were you standing there?" Jago asked.

"The whole time" said Damascus with a smirk. "You seem to forget; Valkyries are stealthy, but Nightmares are invisible".

8888

"Oh man!" said Skuld, rubbing her temples as she looked again at the incredibly complex circuitry that now festooned the inside of Jago's gutted C-130.

"What's up Skuld?" asked Lamb, pulling herself out from under a console.

"This has to be the most complex thing I've ever worked on by a long way" she said. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to retrofit a three-dimensional aircraft so that it has a permanent link to a Gate so that it can enter and exit other dimensions at will, which by the way have all got between seven and ten dimensions each, without tearing apart those within said aircraft or the aircraft itself or making them turn into giant insects or something even more horrible?" Lamb sighed.

"Very?" she guessed.

"You got it" said Noble Scarlet, handing her Mistress a spanner whilst gesturing around the inside of the plane. Every surface was now covered in wires and cables and what wasn't was festooned with strange runes that glowed faintly in the dim light of the cargo hold. "It's like trying to make a working triangle that has three right angles and a fourth side!" Lamb whistled through her teeth.

"That complicated huh?" she said. "Do you think we can get it ready to fly in time for the games?" Skuld gave her a look like she was mad.

"Well of course it will fly, even with the modifications we made to the wings and engines!" she said. "The problem is whether it will be able to connect to the Gate without something unpleasant happening. I think that the machine itself is fine and the supporting spells should work with those formulas you gave us for hacking Gates but we can't get the damn computer systems to mesh with the two".

"What do you mean?" Lamb asked. "You have to remember, I'm a fighting specialist; not a computer wizard!"

"Oh" said Skuld and she turned to her angel. "Noble Scarlet, do you still have that orange that Big Sis packed for lunch?" Noble Scarlet nodded and reached inside her overalls, pulling the out the fruit and handing it to her Mistress. "You had better follow me" she said and led Lamb out into the hanger where the huge plane was currently being housed. She knelt down and using a piece of chalk, she started to draw a pair of rune filled circles in the middle of the floor, placing the orange in the centre of one of them. "Ok Lamb, these two circles are basically representing the two sides of a Gate. Now watch what happens if I try to send a three dimensional object through without any stabilisation". She stood and started to chant, making the circle containing the orange glow slightly. The fruit suddenly jumped about six feet into the air and began to make a whizzing sound. "Noble Scarlet, get the net! It's going to be a bad one!" The angel nodded and hurried away as suddenly the orange dropped and disappeared as it hit the ground. Nothing happened for a few seconds but then the second circle began to glow. With a high pitched squeal, _something _shot forth from the circle, sailed about thirty feet into the air and then, just before it could hit the ground, Noble Scarlet caught it in her net. Gingerly, she reached into the net and grasped the squealing thing, lifting it carefully. The orange had turned into some sort of animal but no animal that would be found on Earth. Or any other world for that matter. It was bright green, with too many eyes to be healthy. It had thirteen legs, a huge single pincer on one side and one the other, a mass of writhing tentacles. It snapped at Noble Scarlet with its mandibles and squirmed to get free, its rod like tail wiggling from side. And then, with a sound like a whoopee cushion, it started to inflate until it was the size of a watermelon. And then it exploded, coating Noble Scarlet in a thick, orange, fruit scented goo.

"You see Lamb?" said Skuld, handing Noble Scarlet a cloth to wipe her face. "That's what could happen to Jago if he were use the machine now, without any computer stabilisation".

"Yeah…. You're not doing that to my Master" said Lamb, watching as Noble Scarlet tried unsuccessfully to pull some of the gunk out of her hair.

"Not only that but that could happen to the plane. Can you imagine what it would be like to be inside a plane after it has turned into something like that?" Lamb turned to look at the plane. Skuld's modifications had reduced the wingspan considerably but a C-130J is still a serious sized beast. It was one-hundred and twelve feet long and fully loaded; it could weigh up to eighty tons. Being inside something like that if it had just turned into something horrible would not be pleasant.

"So what exactly can we do?" asked Lamb.

"Well, in order to stabilise the jump from being three dimensional to ten dimensional, we need to use a computer program that can mesh both the change in dimensions and the change in location without causing any permanent damage, as well as support our movement through a Gate".

"And can you make a computer program like that Skuld?" asked Lamb.

"Of course she can!" said Noble Scarlet and then blushed at her sudden outburst towards the senior angel. "Sorry" she said.

"Well actually Noble Scarlet, I don't think I can" said Skuld. "This thing is way beyond me. I'm just a debugger, not a systems programmer. I mean, the mechanical stuff is easy but this… This is impossible!"

"Well can't someone else write a program for that? What about Urd? She's a systems administrator. Or What about Peorth?"

"I suppose that might work" said Skuld. "I don't like admitting it but those two might just be able to pull it off". She groaned. "But I'm not looking forward to the stig I'm gonna get for this".

8888

Urd and Peorth both roared with laughter when Skuld told them about her problem.

"It's not funny!" she said, glowing red with shame. Urd wiped a tear, leaning heavily on World of Elegance for support.

"I'm sorry Skuld but it really is!" she said. She grasped her sides and gasped, trying to stop herself laughing. "I mean, the Amazing Skuld! Unable to get a machine to work? That's hilarious!" The laughs continued for several more minutes as Skuld sunk deeper and deeper into her funk. Finally Noble Scarlet had enough.

"STOP LAUHGHING!" she shouted, the words appearing as physical projectiles in the air before her and shooting towards the two older goddesses. World of Elegance and Peorth managed to dodge them. Urd and Gorgeous Rose were less lucky; the one having the words "STOP LA-"and the other with "UHGHING!" emblazoned across their faces.

"What was that for!" said Gorgeous Rose as the four of them rounded on Noble Scarlet.

"Why you!" said Urd, her fingers crackling with energy. However, before she could do anything, Lamb had stepped forward and put herself between the two groups, thereby preventing a bloodbath.

"Enough!" she said, her eyes flashing an amber warning. "They came to you to ask for your help, not so you can laugh at them. I suppose that since you're laughing, you two CAN make up some sort of computer program that can fix that can that machine so that it can pass between dimensions without exploding?" There was silence and then the two older goddesses went into a huddle with their angels, whispering quietly to each other. They broke the huddle.

"No" Peorth said simply. "Urd and I may be systems administrators but we don't actually know how to program something. Maybe if we had more time then we might be able knock something together but as it is, we just don't have the time or facilities to create a workable system". Skuld looked furious.

"Then what the Hell gives you the right to make fun of me?!" she said. Urd couldn't help but grin.

"It's just so funny that you can't fix something that you've made! Maybe you are useless after all Skuld!"

"BOO!" The shout was so loud that it made Urd, World of Elegance and Gorgeous Rose all leap straight up in the air and all land in the arms of the unfortunate Peorth. With a squeak, the rose goddess's legs gave out and the four of them ended up in an undignified heap on the floor. The sight was just ridiculous enough to make Skuld, Lamb and Noble Scarlet laugh as Jago leaned over them, a frown on his face.

"That was uncalled for" he said. Urd groaned and rubbed her head.

"So was the boo" she said. Jago shrugged.

"Probably true but I can't stand it when people pick on others who are smaller than them. Plus I'm a vicious bastard with a slightly sadistic sense of humour".

"More than slightly" said Peorth, shoving World of Elegance off of the top of her. Jago grinned and straightened himself.

"How goes it?" he said to Skuld. She shook her head.

"Not great" she said. "The plane is ready and the spells are in place but we can't get them to harmonise without some pretty serious computer work".

"So you went to these clowns for help?" he asked. Skuld nodded. "Hmm" he said. "How complex is this thing?" he asked. Skuld blinked.

"Extremely" she said. "I thought it would be like making a bigger version of what I did for Banpei but this is ridiculous!" Jago chewed his lip for a second.

"Would you say that it was more than ridiculous? Perhaps even redonkulous?" Skuld nodded. "Then I might know someone who can help. She's good, best computer programmer on Earth".

"Who?" asked Skuld. "I mean, she can't be that good if you actually know her. Besides, what good would a human programmer be if she has to work on ten dimensional analogue programs?" Jago shrugged.

"Can't hurt to try" he said. Lamb grinned.

"Are you talking about who I think you're talking about?" she asked and Jago nodded.

"Who?" said Urd and Peorth simultaneously.

"You don't know her" said Jago. "All you need to know at the moment is she's called Tam, although I know her as Digger. And she's REALLY good with computers, especially old or unusual systems which I'm sure this sort of thing would come under".

"Can you contact her?" Skuld asked. In answer, Jago pulled out his phone and he checked the screen.

"Not yet" he said. "We'll need to give it a few hours yet but then yes, I will call her". He pocketed his phone and sighed. "Right then, Skuld and Little Red, is my plane flyable yet? I mean apart from the computers?" Skuld nodded.

"Yeah. I mean the plane's systems all work and its built-in computers are fine, it's just getting it to work when connected to the magic bit". Jago nodded.

"The you've done good". He tossed a set of keys to them. "Go into the freezer in the back of my truck and you can help yourselves to enough ice-cream to drown an full grown shire-horse" . He turned to the two older goddesses and their angels. "You four; shame on you. Nuff said". Finally, he turned to Lamb. "And you? You're a'commin with me!"

"Master?"

"We gotta talk to Lind about something. And we need to pack. You see, we're going on a short trip".

8888

"And you're sure that this person can help?" Lind asked. Jago nodded.

"I'm sure. There's no other human in the world who can put together a program like this in such a short space of time". Valmeyar however remained unconvinced.

"I'm not so sure" she said. "How can we trust this woman? If she is to help us then she is going to need to know about Heaven and some of the systems we use. And what's to say that she could even do something like this? If young Skuld couldn't do it then I doubt that a human woman could". Jago raised three fingers, counting off the reasons.

"One" he said, "I trust this woman more than I trust myself. And also more than any other woman in the world, Lind included". Lind frowned at him but he continued. "Two; she is _excellent _with older model computer systems, particularly analogue ones and I think Yggdrasil based systems would definitely count as an older system. Thirdly and most important; her particular specialisation before she retired was aircraft systems. In particular, she did the Hawker Sidney Harrier and the T.1 Hawk, as well as some stuff on nuclear subs. If there's anyone who can get a C-130 to jump between dimensions without killing everyone on board, then my Digger is the person who can do it". Valmeyar still looked unconvinced but she nodded.

"If you say so" she said doubtfully. Jago snorted.

"Oh come yeah of little faith! What have I ever done to make you doubt me?" Valmeyar glanced at Lind's belly.

"Well…" she said.

"That was rhetorical!" said Jago. The Praetorian leaned back, reclining slightly in mid-air.

"If you say so" she said. "Now, are you going to contact this woman or not?" Jago pulled out his phone, glancing at the clock on the screen.

"Not yet; it's too early there still. If I give it another couple of hours, then I'll call her". Valmeyar nodded.

"Very well" she said. "In that case, I'm going out. I haven't been to Earth since I was a Valkyrie Sergeant and I want to see what's changed".

"Not on your own you're not!" said Lind. "Cool Mint, would you accompany my mother?"

"You too Lamb" said Jago. "You keep these daft sods out of trouble". The angels nodded and they disappeared, following the departing Praetorian.

"So now what do we do?" asked Lind.

"Well… we could drunk and steal a swing shovel?"

"That might be bad for the baby" said Lind, rubbing her hand across her belly.

"I was kidding" said Jago, grinning and rubbing his hand over the top of hers. He leaned down and gently kissed Lind. "There is however, something we can do. If I talk to Urd, would you ask Keiichi about being godfather?" Lind nodded.

8888

Urd was in her room with World of Elegance, working on one of her potions when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open you know" she said and Jago stepped in. "Oh, hello Jago. Can I do something for you?" Jago nodded and closed the door.

"Yes, I was hoping that you could do me a favour" he said.

"You're not having second thoughts are you? About the baby I mean". Jago blinked.

"What? NO!" Urd exhaled deeply.

"Thank the Almighty. I really didn't want to have to brew up an abortion brew. Not pleasant".

"What the Hell Urd? What kind of bastard do you think I am?"

"Sorry" she said. "I guess that I jump to conclusions".

"That's alright I suppose" said Jago. "However, there was something I wanted to ask you and it was actually about the baby. Here we go" he exhaled and then took a deep breath. "Urd, World of Elegance, would you do me the honour of becoming my son's godmother?" Both Urd and World of Elegance were taken back.

"Godmother?" asked World of Elegance. "Are you sure? Why us? Surely Belldandy-"

"I like your sister dearly but she isn't quite right for the job. She's too pure, too sweet and innocent. If something happened to either Lind or I which at the rate we're going, it very well might, I would want someone who is not only powerful but also someone who had been around the block a few times. Someone who I can trust to look after my son". Stunned silence. "Well? Would you do it?" His answer was a combined hug from Urd and World of Elegance. Despite being petite, they were surprisingly strong.

"You stupid fool! Of course we'll be godmother for your son! We would be honoured!"

"Thanks Urd. Thanks Ella. Now, put me down, you don't know where I've been!"

8888

Keiichi was working on his motorcycle with Belldandy and Holybell sweeping nearby when Lind approached. She cleared her throat loudly, letting them know that she was there.

"Oh, hi Lind" said Keiichi, smiling at the Valkyrie. Lind smiled back, giving her rare smile.

"Hello Keiichi. I was wondering whether I could talk with you about something. And I would appreciate it if Belldandy were here too". They nodded and Belldandy and her angel approached.

"What is it Lind?" Belldandy asked. Lind took a deep breath before launching into her explanation.

"You two know I'm pregnant right? Well Jago thought that it might be a good idea if our son might have godparents, in case something happened to him during the Paladin tests. So-"

"Why Lind, of course we will!" said Belldandy, beaming happily. Lind shook her head.

"Please let me finish" she said. "While it is true that Jago wanted Keiichi to be godfather, he didn't want you to be godmother Belldandy. I'm sorry". Belldandy and Holybell's faces both fell.

"But…" said Belldandy.

"Then who is he going to ask?" said Holybell.

"He's asking Urd" said Lind with a sigh. There was a pause and then Belldandy smiled again.

"Yes, that would be a good idea" she said. Lind and Keiichi were both stunned.

"I'm sorry?" said Lind, looking confused. "You're not hurt?" Belldandy shrugged.

"A little" she said. "But I agree with Jago's choice; Urd would be a better godmother than I. She is more powerful and whereas I am fully devoted to Keiichi, Urd has no-one to care for. Not totally anyway, so it would be good for both her and the baby if she were the godmother". Lind nodded.

"Thank you Belldandy" she said and she turned to Keiichi. "Well? Will you be my son's godfather Keiichi?" He nodded, grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"You bet!" he said, making Lind and Belldandy both smile.

8888

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

"So how exactly does he know this person?" Peorth asked.

"He didn't say" whispered Lind. "All I know is that they appear to have known each other for a very long time". Peorth grinned.

"Old girlfriend?" she ventured.

"Not exactly" said Bob. "She's-"

"Shush!" said Urd. "She's picked up!" They may only have been able to hear half of the conversation but they could most of what was being discussed.

"Hello?" said Jago. "Yep, hello Digger. Yeah, it's all good here. Same old, same old. Yeah, Japan's good. Can't get decent biscuits here though. Bob? Oh, he's behaving himself for a change. Heard he's got a crush on someone". Bob turned red as Peorth and Urd snorted. "Anywho, I need a favour. What? No I don't need money, I have my own business now. No. Look, are you still any good with computers? Aircraft computers. Yeah, I know it's been a while but I couldn't think of anyone else who could fix something like this. Yeah, it's gonna be pretty technical. Er… Hard to explain. Tell you what, how about I actually bring the thing over? I mean I haven't visited for nearly two years so I might as well. Yeah? Alright, yeah. There's just one thing. I gonna be bringing some friends over. Not sure yet, I'll have to ask but probably a few. Don't worry; I can put them up in town. I just need you to help me with plane. You'll do it? Awesome! Alright, see you in a few days. Alright. Bye!" He put the phone down. "She said she'd take a look at least. Now, who's coming?"

"Well who exactly was that?" Lind asked. "You seem very friendly with this woman. I hope it's not someone you haven't told me about".

"No, nothing like that Lind. Although, I reckon you should probably meet her. Lamb and Damascus should come too and Bob isn't weaselling out of it. Other than that, maybe Skuld? She might be able to lend a hand".

"Well I'll come" said Lind. "And I'll bring Spear Mint and Cool Mint. But who exactly is this woman?" Jago grinned.

"I thought you would have realised" he said. "She's me mum".

8888

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PLANE!?" Jago shouted.

"Well…" said Skuld, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "There aren't a lot of places in Heaven that are big enough for C-130 to land so I… converted it into a tilt-rotor aircraft". It was true. Skuld had modified the plane extensively; removing the two outboard engines and attaching them to a new set of stub-wings at the rear of the fuselage. All four engines were also now fitted on rotating pivots so that they could either swing forward for rapid forward flight or twist vertically and allow the aircraft to hover, take-off or land vertically. The tail had also been removed as the new set of rearward wings also provided horizontal and vertical stability. Altogether, it was still just recognisable as a C-130 but only just.

"I have to say, I'm impressed" said Keiichi. "To have been able to modify something like this so extensively in less than a day.

"YEAH IT'S IMPRESSIVE BUT WHAT THE HELL!" said Jago. He paused. "HELP! I CAN'T STOP SHOUTING! SOMEONE HIT ME PLEASE!" Lind slapped him on the back of the head. He went cross-eyed for a second and then he snapped his head back up. "Thanks" he said. "Like I was saying though; I could have done with some warning. I wasn't expecting her to convert my C-130 Hercules into a V-120 Valkyrie".

"A what?" said Lind, looking perplexed.

"Unless you know Tom Clancy's Endwar, you wouldn't understand". He chuckled. "Although I was just thinking; you're gonna be the Valkyrie in the Valkyrie!"

"I don't get it" she said. Jago snorted.

"Ah well". He turned to the others. "Right, I have to do some pre-flight checks and then paint a name on the nose of the thing and then we're ready to go".

"What are you gonna call it?" asked Urd, hefting her overnight bag. Jago tapped his chin for a second.

"The Tanngrisnir" he said. Urd ginned.

"Old Norse right? Snarler?" Jago nodded.

"Aye that's right" he said, pulling out a can of red paint and a brush from his own bag. "Now you guys get loaded in, I'll be with you in a minute". Twenty minutes later, Jago climbed on board, pulling the door shut behind him. "Everyone belted in?" he asked. They all were; Lamb and Damascus, Bob, Lind and the Mint Sisters, Keiichi, Belldandy, Holybell and Urd, with World of Elegance having decided to stay behind to keep an eye on the temple.

"We're ready" said Keiichi. "But are you sure you can fly this thing?" Jago shrugged.

"Does an octopus have eight legs?" he said and he climbed into the cockpit. To his surprise, he found that Skuld was already there, performing her own checks on the systems. "You the co-pilot?" he asked.

"No" said Noble Scarlet from the flight engineer's seat at the rear of the cabin, "She's the pilot". Jago snorted.

"No bloody chance!" he said. "The Tanngrisnir is my baby!" They glared at each other for a second.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Skuld asked. Jago nodded. Jago won. He grinned and pulled on his helmet, flicking various switches as he went. He reached across a pulled on his throat mike.

"Hello back there! Welcome on board Careless Airways Flight one-o-one!" he said. "Please listen to the following safety announcements". He flicked a series of switches starting the front two engines. With a roar, the huge, six-bladed props spun up to full speed. Seconds later, the rear set were up to speed and Jago gently began to squeeze the throttle. "I please ask that you turn off you mobile phones and any other electrical devices during take-off and landing as while I am certified to fly both a plane and a helicopter, I have never tried to fly something that is both and electrical stuff fucks up the altimeter". Skuld looked across at him.

"You've really never flown anything like this?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? The only other VTOL in service anywhere in the world is the American V-22 Osprey! Do you really think I've ever seen a real aircraft like this?"

"You know we just heard everything you just said!" shouted Keiichi from the cargo bay.

"Sorry!" said Jago and he pushed the throttle fully open, gunning the engines and rolling the aircraft forward. "Anyway… In the event of airsickness, please use the sickness bags located behind the seats. Also, if I catch anyone smoking whilst inflight then I'll have you chucked out of the aircraft at twenty-thousand feet!"

"You're the only smoker!" said Lamb.

"I know!" said Jago happily as the huge plane rolled into the sunlight. He flicked another switch and the four huge engines rotated vertical. "Finally, in the unlikely event of a water landing, we have no life vests so when we crash, we will all be eaten by sharks or drown. Except possibly Belldandy. Apart from that, just sit back and try to enjoy the flight. We will be in Gorna International Airport, Bulgaria in approximately… twelve hours. Now look out below because here we go!" With that and a last nudge at the throttle, the Tanngrisnir slowly lifted from the ground and started to beat its way across the sky.

8888

"Are you sure they're in?" Keiichi asked as Jago banged on the huge metal gates.

"Should be" he said, "I said we'd be coming today".

"Maybe they can't hear you?" Belldandy suggested.

"Doubt it" said Bob. "I'm actually surprised the dogs haven't gone off yet". There were five of them outside the gate to the Bulgarian small-holding; Jago, Bob, Keiichi, Belldandy and Lind. The rest had agreed to stay in Gorna for now as it would be difficult to explain the sudden appearance of so many visitors, especially in a village as small as Sushitsa. It had been a long trip, made longer by the fact that none of the goddesses actually had a passport to their names, meaning it had taken some fairly substantial bribes just to get them into the country. On top of that it was fiercely hot, as it always was during Bulgaria's summer.

"Perhaps you should try the bell again?" said Lind but Jago shook his head. Without another word, he grasped hold of the top of the gate with both hands.

"Ah! That's hot!" he said and then he pulled himself up and over it, dropping nimbly into the yard. The others couldn't see what happened next but they could hear it. First there was an almighty woofing and they heard Jago laugh.

"Hello you two!" he said and he started laughing but then he yelped. "AH!" he shouted and he started pulling himself back over the gate until he was perched on top.

"GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!"

"I see you're still here too!" said Jago from atop the gate.

"What's up?" Lind asked. Jago half swivelled to face her.

"Well apart from the fact that I was just treed by the bloody turkey again and the fact this gate is VERY hot, nothing".

"JAGO!" a female voice shouted. "What are you doing up there?" Jago turned and waved.

"Hi Mo!" and then he pointed downward. "Turkey" he said.

"He really doesn't like you, does he? Hang on". A few seconds later, Jago slid back off of the gate and with a crunch and a clang, the gate swung open.

"Sorry about that" he said, looking sheepish. "That turkey is the living incarnation of Satan".

"You said it" said the girl next to him. She was about fifteen and stood five-foot-two, with strawberry blond hair, pale blue eyes and freckles. Her shirt had probably once been white but was so grubby it was impossible to tell and the same was true for her shorts although they had probably once been pink. On her feet though, she was wearing an enormous pair of bright yellow wellingtons, several sizes too big for her. "Well aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked.

"MO!" said Bob and he pulled her into a hug. Jago grinned.

"Lind, Keiichi, Bell; I would like you to meet the bigger of my little sisters, Mo" he said as Bob released her.

"Please to meet you" she said brightly, holding out her hand which they shook.

"Where's mum at?" Jago asked and Mo cocked her head.

"She's out in the garden with Issy so she sent me to let you in. Plus she thought you might need saving from the turkey. Come on, she's expecting you". She led the way inside, bolting the gate behind them. The gate had opened onto a steeply sloping drive, the left side flanked by a pile of builder's rubble that was backed up against a chain-link fence and a large, concrete outbuilding and on the right by a large metal shed that may in a past life have been a railway carriage, with the space in between occupied by a big, green Land Rover. However, before they could go any further, a pair of huge, shaggy dogs, one black and the other copper-brown, came bounding up, barking as they came, lips drawn back and teeth bared. Keiichi backed behind Belldandy as Lind sank into fighting stance but a short bark from Jago pulled them up short.

"Brennan! Booth! SIT!" The dogs stopped dead and both dropped into a sit, tails beating frantically and panting. Jago rubbed both their heads and they licked his palms as he turned back to the others. "Karakachan hounds" he said. "Dopey but great guard dogs. Don't worry though, they won't bite" Keiichi continued to eye them suspiciously but Belldandy and Lind nodded as Jago stepped aside and the dogs quietly padded over to them. They greeted Bob with an affectionate nuzzling and then moved onto the two goddesses, sniffing and wagging their tails. Eventually, Keiichi summoned up the courage to reach out to the larger black one.

"Nice boy" he said but the dog growled at him until Jago gave his own, deeper growl, making the dog's ears drop and its tail fall between its legs.

"Brennan" he said warningly and the dog whined a little, backing away from Keiichi. "Sorry mate" Jago said. "They must think you're a gypsy". Keiichi gulped and nodded but then it was Jago's turn to be afraid.

"GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!" Without bothering to turn to look, Jago sprinted back past them and hauled himself back on top of the gate as a huge copper streak shot after him, gobbling as it came. For a moment, it looked for all the world like a velociraptor but then they realised that it was actually a turkey, as big as one of the guard dogs and with a bright red and blue head. It leapt straight up at Jago, pecking at his foot as he aimed a wild kick at the bird. "GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!" is squawked.

"BE GONE VULTURE!" Jago shouted. "Mo, would you do the honours?" Mo nodded and with no fuss whatsoever, she scooped the turkey up in her arms. It seemed to calm instantly and it deflated its wattle, become a paler shade of pink and blue.

"Gobble?" is said questioningly as Mo handed it to Bob so that Jago could climb down off of the gate. Lind snorted.

"You want to be the Paladin but you're afraid of a turkey?" she asked, a note of scorn in her voice.

"Look" said Jago, panting slightly. "That turkey is pure evil! I would rather go to bed with the Loch Lomond Monster than spend five minutes in the same room as that bird!" As if to emphasise the point, the turkey then turned to stare at Lind with one of its beady, black eyes and she shivered as she felt a feeling of pure hatred and malignant feeling emanating from the look. Even Belldandy, who had once befriended a lion felt a note of fear in the look of hatred that this bird was giving.

"I think I get your point" said Lind as Bob placed the turkey in the outhouse, shutting the door behind him.

"I think we had better go and see mum now" said Mo and she led them across the remainder of the yard.

"Is there anything else that might attack us around here?" Keiichi whispered to Jago as they went. Jago tapped his chin thoughtfully for a second.

"Well there are the rattlesnakes…" he said. Keiichi looked terrified.

"You're joking right?" he said.

"Yeah, don't worry" said Jago. "Nothing else dangerous here. Well, unless you REALLY upset a chicken".

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The garden itself was about a third of an acre and was divided into two parts by a should height fence. The smaller half was filled with an expansive squash patch, with beans, peas and rhubarb growing down each side. The other half was dominated by a combination of potato plants, sweet corn and eight-foot tall tomatoes. And between them, were two people. One was a girl of about ten, with straw blond hair and wearing a pair of stained white shorts and an equally mucky shirt. The other was a short woman, about five-foot-four of between fourty and fifty, with ginger-brown hair that was starting to grey in places and wearing a worn grey shirt and pink shorts.

"HEY UP!" Jago called up and the two turned to face them.

"Jago!" the girl shouted and raced over to him, tackling him and wrapping herself around his waist.

"Hello Issy" he said, hugging his little sister with a grin.

"Your wider and taller than last I saw you" the older woman said to Jago, pulling off her gloves and glaring at Jago.

"And you Digger, are shorter and greyer than last we met" Jago said, his customary grin changing into a frown. The two stared at each other for a second. Then they both grinned and then stepped forward and hugged one another. "It's good to see you mum" said Jago.

"You too Jago" she said and then turned to the others. "So are you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, how rude of me!" Jago said. "This is Keiichi and that's Belldandy, good friends of ours. And this…" he said, wrapping an arm around her and making her blush, "is Lind".

"Hi there. As you've probably heard, I'm Jago and Bob's mum but everyone calls me Tam".

"Pleased to meet you" said Belldandy, smiling. "It is an honour finally meet you!" Tam nodded and smiled.

"Same to you". She turned to Lind and gave her a quick looking over. "Hmm" she said and then turned back to Jago. "Well, are you planning to tell me why exactly you dragged yourself halfway round the world?" she asked.

"Now THAT is going to be a long story. Before we get started, I think we need to find a seat. And maybe some food". Tam snorted.

"Typical; you just got here and you're already asking for eats!"

8888

It was much later. After lunch, they had been given complete tour of the premise. They had met the pig and the chickens and ducks. Jago had been treed again by the turkey although he wasn't alone this time, in that Keiichi had been treed too. Dinner had been pork and now, the sun had set and it had started to cool. It was now that Jago gave his explanation as to what was going on. Tam listen quietly, nodding occasionally but not asking any questions; just listening. Jago didn't tell her everything, avoiding the assassination attempts on Lamb except for the first one, as he needed to explain why and how he came to possess such a powerful angel. He steered the conversation away Bob's incident with Skuld and the rock, plus the malaria attack and most importantly, he avoided Lind's pregnancy. After his explanation, Tam just sat quietly for a second. Finally she spoke.

"Well…" Tam said, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket. "That's quite a tale".

"And you believe us?" Lind asked sceptically to which Tam nodded.

"And why wouldn't I?" she asked. "You've come half way around the world to see me, with a story about angels, demons, Heaven and Hell? What am is supposed to believe"?"

"Well most people would doubt us" said Lind.

"True" said Tam. "And I would like some proof".

"This proof enough?" Jago said, snapping two fingers and causing a small flame to grow from the end of his thumb. He offered his hand to his mum and she used the flame to light her cigarette before allowing Jago light one of his own.

"I suppose that's proof enough" she said. "But would it be ok if I meet them? These "Archs" of yours?" Jago glanced at Lind and Belldandy who both nodded.

"I can't see any reason why not" he said and then called to his angles with his mind. "_Lamb? Damascus? You there?"_

_"Master?"_

_"She wants to meet you"._

_"Ok, we're on our way. Just have some water ready so we can materialise"._ Jago stood, crossing to the sink and filled a glass before placing it on the floor. Thirty seconds later, they appeared; first Damascus and then Lamb, both in their undisguised forms. Tam looked shocked but then she smiled.

"So these are these two are the reason that you dropped out of university" she said. "I suppose that in this case, you were justified". The two angels smiled and they heard a whistle from the doorway.

"Wow!"

"They're pretty". They all turned to see Jago's sisters in the kitchen doorway, staring wide eyed and open mouthed at the two winged beings.

"I thought you two were in bed?" said Jago, smiling and he sighed. "Well since you're up, you might as well say hello". The two girls stepped into the kitchen and couldn't help but gawp at the angels. Lamb smiled and leaned over Jago, whispering in his ear. Jago grinned. "Lamb said thank you for saying that they were pretty". The two girls smiled and giggled.

"Are they real? The wings I mean?" Issy asked. Jago turned to Lamb.

"You wouldn't mind showing them would you?" he asked. She shook her head and crossed to them, kneeling so that they could reach her wings. They gently began to run their fingers through the snow white feathers until she winced and pulled back slightly. "Gently she says, they're attached". The two girls nodded and proceeded more cautiously. Finally satisfied, they turned to Damascus.

"What about her's?" Mo asked. Damascus crossed her arms and frowned.

"She says they're real but she'd rather that they weren't touched. Devil wings are sensitive and more easily damaged than normal angels. Plus she had fangs". To help emphasise the point, Damascus opened her mouth and showed her enlarged upper canine teeth, making two girls shudder.

"Ok, I think we get it" said Tam. "Now you girls back to bed" she said. Groaning, they conceded.

"So" said Jago. "Do you think you can help us?" Tam thought for a second.

"It's been a while but I'm sure I can still work something out. However…" she said, raising her hand, "there are two conditions. One; I come too when you take this trip. Issy and Mo as well, if you can take them. I see no reason why you and Bob should be the only ones to visit Heaven". Jago nodded.

"That seems fair enough" he said. "And the other".

"I was getting to that; I want you and… anyone else who is willing to help me fix up the house. I'm assuming that we'll be gone several days?" she asked Belldandy who nodded.

"Probably about a week" she said.

"Very well then. In that case, I want at least a week's worth of work done before we leave. We have wood to chop, fences to fix, the garden to dig over and straw and hay to collect, not to mention the wheat and barley. In return though, I can promise you all good meals while you work for me. Does that sound fair?" All around nods. "Good. In that case, show we have a drink? Jago, I believe I still have some of your horrible apple vodka if you want it".

"Don't worry about that" said Jago, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a small flask. "Got my own brew" he said and poured out a series of shots, handing them around. "Ok ready? On three". They nodded. "One, two, three!" They gulped their shots and most immediately began coughing.

"My word!" said Belldandy, coughing.

"What's in that?" asked Keiichi. "Battery acid?" Jago shrugged.

"Only for colour".

8888

Just before they were about to leave for the night, Tam called out to Lind.

"Would you mind if I speak with you in private for a second?" she asked. Lind nodded and headed back inside.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Lind was it? Well may I be blunt?" Lind nodded. "You're my son's squeeze right?" she asked. Lind nodded again and Tam sighed. "How far along are you?" she asked. Lind looked surprised.

"How did you-" .

"I'm a mother of four" Tam said. "I know the signs. Particularly the way you were sitting; your posture suggested that your breasts were tender and you were trying not to put any weight on them. Jago is the farther right?" Lind nodded.

"Yes. And he's a good man".

"I know, I raised him as such". She sighed. "Although he's a bloody fool to get someone pregnant, even if she is much older than he is. Still, I can't argue with the facts; I will soon be a grandmother and there's nothing I can do about it. Just… make sure that my son stays safe, ok Lind. I can tell that you're powerful but I would rather that Jago didn't have to risk his life TOO much for you". Lind grinned.

"I have intention of letting him do so" she said. Tam grinned.

"Good. Now you'd better be going, they'll be waiting for you". Lind left, meeting the others just outside the gate in the rental car.

"What did she want?" Jago asked.

"She wanted me to look after you and she also knew I was pregnant". Jago looked shocked and Lind sniggered. "Don't worry, I've decided that I like your mum and I trust her". Tam watched them pull away and into the night from the door of the house and then headed back inside. She sighed.

"A grandmother huh? Well I suppose that it had to happen at some point".

8888

Jago crossed his fingers as he sat in the Tanngrisnir's cockpit, flicking the start-up switches. And praying. Everybody was now on board; the entire residency of the Tarikihongan temple and as well as Jago's mum and siblings. The exception was Valmeyar who had already gone back to Heaven in order to smooth their arrival once they actually got there.

"We all set back there?" he shouted down to them.

"Ready!" came the unanimous shout. Jago glanced at Skuld in the co-pilot's chair and they nodded at one another. With a final flick of a switch, the aircraft rumbled into life and started to move, lifting ponderously off of the runway. It shuddered a little the wind but Jago quickly corrected the movement with a flick of the controls.

"Ready Little Red?" he asked and the angel nodded from her engineer's seat, starting up the Gate linking device. The plane crackled with energy and suddenly, before them, a Gate materialised. It glowed faintly in the morning light and appeared to crackle with the same energy that was currently flowing across the surfaces of the plane. "Here we go!" Jago shouted and gunned the throttles, sending the Tanngrisnir roaring forwards, straight into the Gate. Just before impact, he closed his eye's offering a final prayer to whatever God was listening that they would come out of this in the same condition they went in. However, nothing appeared to happen. There was no explosion, no screams, no tortured sound of metal being converted into living tissue; just the steady thump of the huge turboprops. Cautiously, he peeked one eye open. "Uh oh" he said. "Guy's, I think we'se dead".

"What makes you say that?" someone shouted back.

"Well, we appear to have died and gone to Heaven!" Silence and then a collective cheer. Skuld breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, I was wrong doubt your mum" she said. "Now we just have to find somewhere to land this thing". Just then, the radio crackled into life.

"Unidentified aircraft, come in!" a female voice barked. Jago picked up the receiver.

"This is Jago Finch, pilot of the Tanngrisnir. To who arm I-?"

"This is Valkyrie flight control and your aircraft has strayed into Heavenly airspace. You will be escorted to a secure landing site by Valkyrie Air Wardens for arrest. Failure to comply will be result in the immediate and instant destruction of both you, your aircraft and any passengers, cargo or crew on board". As if on cue, a pair of Valkyries appeared in front of the Tanngrisnir, brandishing their weapons.

"Well" said Jago with some distaste. "Not exactly got much choice have we?"

Authors Note: the turkey from this chapter is actually a real bird. In fact, I have posted a picture of him on my Deviantart account (jacoblee0463)so people can tell what the hell I'm going on about. And yes, he really is that evil! Also, thanks for my 600 hits! I love you guys!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**The Almighty and the Valkyries**

"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with… T" Peorth said.

"Breakfast" said Lamb, after a pause.

"What?"

"Master always starts breakfast with tea. Then we have sausages and bacon and eggs or toast or a big bowl of porridge or-"

"No" said Peorth. "I meant a letter". Lamb shook her head.

"No… breakfast never starts with a letter. Post-man don't come till half-past ten!"

"She mean the letter "R" said Urd from where she was lying across the room. "You know; Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr". Lamb looked confused.

"Motorbike?" Urd pulled herself up.

"What?" she said.

"Well Keiichi's motorbike always starts with a Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr". Both Urd and Peorth sighed in frustration.

"I think Jago needs to reach you the alphabet" Peorth said to the angel.

"No, I was just pulling your leg" Lamb said.

"Well I've got one" said Damascus. "What starts with come here and ends with "Ow"?" Lamb wrinkled her brow.

"I don't know" said Lamb.

"Well come here". Lamb got to her feet and crossed to Damascus who then slapped her on the back of the head. "That was for being irritating". The two starred daggers at each other for a few minutes until Jago called them off.

"Hey, no fighting while I'm trying to sleep" he said, not bothering to lift his hat from his eyes. "I know your both frustrated but you it doesn't mean you can start trying to eat each other. Now apologies to each other". Both Archs frowned but mumbled their apologies and went back to their seats.

"Well we could try… singing?" Belldandy asked hopefully. At this, Jago did raise his hat, peering out from under the brim.

"Well that depends; would you rather be cremated or buried at sea?" he said and then lowered his hat as her face fell.

"Look, I know we're all tired and frustrated" said Lind, "But they can't exactly keep us here much longer. Even if we did trespass into Heavenly airspace, then it won't be long before they have to release us". There was a collective sigh. After being arrested for trespassing with the Tanngrisnir, everyone was transferred to a large holding cell beneath the Valkyrie barracks. Since they were back in Heaven, most of the angels were now able to return to being inside their mistresses, with the exception of Lamb and Damascus, who had been informed that they must remain active or they would face severe punishment. It was just as well that the other angels had been withdrawn though; there was barely enough room for the goddesses and humans, never mind another nine angels. Eventually though, Jago was the one who snapped.

"Right" he said, pulling off on of his boots, "I'm gonna get us out".

"What are you doing?" Chrono asked. "You planning a jailbreak using a shoe?" Jago shrugged.

"Close but no banana" he said, pulling the lace free of the boot and then sliding it back onto his foot. He then pulled out his wallet and removed something from it.

"I thought they searched you for weapons?" Tam asked.

"This? This is just a personal grooming appliance" he said, flicking open the cutthroat razor. Lind looked at him darkly.

"Jago" she said slowly, "I dearly hope you're not planning to fight the guards with that. It would give a VERY poor first impression".

"What do you mean fight them? I'm just gonna run it along the bars and make a noise. I would use my hands but that hurts". With that, he started running the razor along the bars, creating a loud ringing noise. "HEY! WARDEN!" he shouted. "WARDEN! COME ON, I WANNA TALK TO YOU!" After a few minutes, a grumpy looking Valkyrie Corporal came ambling down the corridor.

"What?" she demanded angrily.

"Look, we've been stuck here for four hours and we want out".

"Well that's too bad" said the warden with a leer. "Lord Deaderuss has specifically stated that no prisoners are to be released unless they are called for".

"So send a message to Ladies Anzus and Valmeyar. I expect that they would be pretty interested in why you have locked up their daughters".

"Nothing doing" the warden said. "Got to stay here and guard the prisoners".

"Well I'll make it easy for you shall I" said Jago. With that he whipped off his belt and replaced it with his boot lace. He then threaded the belt through the cell bars, twisted and then jerked it hard, bending one of the bars so that it detached itself from the ceiling.

"Wah?" the warden said, stepping back in surprise as Jago stepped through the gap. However, before the guard could react, he had slotted the bar back into place, pushing straight again in the process. He then turned to the guard.

"There" he said. "Now you can go and fetch their ladyships".

"But-"

"You can't go because you need to guard the cells right?"

"Yes but-"

"Well, I'll guard them for you. As you can see, they can't get out and I have no intention of going back in".

"But-"

"And you don't have to worry about me going anywhere either. Like I said, I'm on guard so I can't leave". There were a few minutes of quiet where you could almost hear the Valkyries brain-cogs spin and then she appeared to reach a decision.

"I'll be right back" she said and disappeared off up the corridor.

"How did you…?" Keiichi started to ask but fell silent. Tam however, grinned.

"You had a Pratchett moment, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yep. Rule one; unless you're in Fourecks, guards are always dumb. I guessed that applied to Valkyrie guards as well".

8888

Less than ten minutes later, Valmeyar showed up at their cell, flanked by two Praetorians. She was surprised to see Jago, stood outside the cell, smoking a cigarette. However, upon spotting her, he stubbed it out and snapped to attention.

"Lady Valmeyar" he said, bowing his head to her. She chuckled to herself.

"What are you doing?" she asked him with a grin.

"Making sure the prisoners don't escape" he said.

"But weren't you one of the prisoners?"

"Yes, yes I am. But then again, I wasn't going anywhere and someone had to make sure these miscreants don't escape" he said, jerking his thumb at the cell in mock disgust.

"Well in that case, I hereby relieve you of your duty as the prisoners are free to go". Jago nodded and stepped aside so that the warden could open the door to the cell. "My apologies" she said. "The Air Wardens should have been informed about your arrival but it appears that the message didn't get through".

"That's quite alright" Belldandy said. "It's just good to see you Lady Valmeyar".

"You too Belldandy" said the Praetorian. She then turned to Tam. "And I'm assuming that you're Jago's mother?"

"That's right, they call me Tam" she said. "And I assume that you're Lind's?" The Praetorian nodded and they shook hands before Valmeyar turned to the group at large.

"Well, as you're all here, we might as well show you to where you will be staying during your visit. If you would kindly follow Höðr, she will escort you" she said, indicating one of the Praetorians. However, as Lind and Jago turned to leave, she held out her hand, preventing them from leaving. "There is just one thing; Lord Deaderuss has asked that you two be billeted at the Valkyrie barracks. I know it's inconvenient but I can't countermand a direct order from him". Lind scowled but nodded. Jago cocked his head for a second.

"Two things; first, can my angels go back inside? And secondly; can I have all the stuff that was confiscated back?" Valmeyar glanced at the two Archs and nodded.

"You can have your things back and your angels are free to return to you". Jago nodded and then winced as both Lamb and Damascus both returned to him.

"Ow. It's been a while" he said.

"_Sorry"_ they both said.

8888

"So this is where you used to live before you met me?" Jago asked Lind, setting down his bag and his pile of weapons, which contained amongst other things; his claymore, a six-foot tower shield, two mauls, a shotgun and a bandolier cross-belt of ammunition. Lind sighed as she sat down on the bed, leaning her halberd against the wall.

"Yes, Valkyries don't go for luxury".

"Well I can understand that but I didn't expect it to be this Spartan". And it truly was. There was a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and a sink with a mirror and that was it. Nothing unnecessary, nothing out of place. And completely depressing. "Are all the rooms like this?" Jago asked.

"Not all of them. Some of the others decorate their rooms with trophies or pictures. Some had hobbies. But personally…"

"I get it" Jago said. "Well you got me at least. Do I count as decoration?" Lind snorted with mirth.

"I don't know… maybe as a life-sized stuffed gorilla?"

"Oh! Cheeky!" Jago said, sitting down on the bed next to her and kissing her gently. However, just then there was a knock at the door. They pulled apart with a sigh.

"Door's open" Lind said and nervous looking Valkyrie Trainee entered, glancing nervously at both Jago and Lind.

"Captain Lind" she said, thumping her right fist against her left shoulder and bowing her head, "The Almighty One has requested the presence of both you and Lord Twoarchs, immediately".

"Lord" Twoarchs?" Jago asked with a raised eyebrow. The Trainee gulped.

"Well… That is…"

"It's alright" he said, waving his hand at her. "But in future, just Twoarch's if you don't mind. Or better yet, you can call me Jago". The trainee nodded and gulped again as Lind changed into her Valkyrie's uniform and then slipped her jacket over the top of it, to cover her brand and then picking up her halberd.

"If… you say so L- Jago" said the Trainee. "Now if you kindly follow me, I'll take you straight to His Lordship".

8888

The young Valkyrie led the pair through Heaven's winding avenues towards the central palace that doubled as the Yggdrasil server building. As they went, Lind explained the explained the formal politics that were involved in meeting The Almighty as Jago stared in open astonishment at the beautiful scenery. Thin spires of marble soared so high into the sky that they seemed to defy gravity, the air was thick with the scent of blossom and colourful birds flitted between the trees. The people were just as extraordinary; gods, goddesses, Earth spirits, tree spirits, dwarfs, fairies, elves, machiners; all manner of strange people who frequented the streets of Heaven. Jago wasn't the only one to be doing any looking though as he suddenly realised that he and Lind were also getting strange looks from those around him.

"Ur Lind, we're getting stared at" he said to her. Lind nodded.

"Yep. You have to realise that this is the first time that many of them have seen a human. Not only that but you're with me and I'm… kind of infamous".

"Is that right?" Jago said. "I just assumed it was my hat". Pretty soon however, they reached the main gate to the central palace. The main foyer was filled with various deities, all going about their business. However, the appearance of Lind and Jago caused the room to fall silent. "Well this is awkward" he whispered and she shrugged, taking a step forward.

"Yes, there's a human in Heaven" she announced to the room at large. "Unless there is a problem, in which case you may take it up with me personally" she said, shrugging off her jacket, revealing her full Valkyrie uniform, "otherwise , suggest that you go back about your business". There was a moment of silence. Someone coughed in the distance. Then everything returned to normal, with everyone turning away and going back to their businesses. The Trainee cleared her throat a little as Lind handed her jacket to Jago.

"If you would please follow me" she said and started to lead them across the room again. Just as they were approaching a life, a voice called out to them.

"Lind? Captain Lind? Is that you?" They turned to see a Valkyrie making her way across to them. "Lieutenant Vayrag" said Lind. "It's been a while". Vayrag nodded and bowed her head to Lind. She was a little shorter than Lind, with a shock of short, red hair that stuck out at odd angles. On her forehead she had a blue square as an emblem, with a set of three squares on each cheek and bottle green eyes. She straightened and smiled at Lind.

"It's good to see you again Captain" she said. "When we learned what happened to you, with you being banished and all, the whole Valkyrie corps almost rebelled! We were disgusted with Lord Deaderuss and if it hadn't been for Lady Valmeyar, we could have had a coup on our hands". A smile played across Lind's lips for a few seconds before she returned to attention.

"Thank you" she said. "It is good to know that my name still carries some weight around here". The Lieutenant smiled and nodded.

"As to that loathsome human, we were prepared to hunt him down and drag him to The Almighty to face justice for defiling you and stealing that Arch. In fact just say the word and we can… I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" she said as Lind's face suddenly darkened.

"You could say that" said Jago, stepping forward so that he was no on Lind's right side. "That "loathsome human" would be me" he said. Vayrag's face paled.

"You're Twoarch?" she asked. "But you're-"

"I'm what?" he said he said calmly. He had yet to drop his usual grin but it HAD changed. Rather than being friendly and welcoming, it was now more like that of a shark; hungry and predatory.

"It's ok Jago" Lind said and then she turned back to Vayrag. "Jago is here to represent the Earth during the upcoming Deity games and I would thank you for not insulting him in front of me". She cleared her throat. "Especially as he is the father of my child". Vayrag's face went from a look of fear to one of shock.

"You mean-?"

"Yes".

"And he's-?"

"Yes". Vayrag glanced at Jago and then back to Lind.

"Oh Lind" she said. "I'm not sure whether to be happy for you or feel sorry for you".

"Well personally, I'm happy" Lind said. "You can tell the others that we'll be by later to catch up although I would appreciate it if you didn't spread the word too much. I don't need any more attention than I'm already going to get". Vayrag nodded and then she smiled.

"Well in that case, if you're happy then so am I. I wish my congratulations and the best of luck". Lind nodded and Vayrag disappeared off, quickly becoming lost in the crowd.

"Well who was that then?" Jago asked Lind as they stepped into the lift.

"That was Vayrag, one of my Lieutenants" she said. "Nice girl but she doesn't have the strength of will to become a Captain". Jago nodded.

"I liked her" he said to which Lind just nodded. After a few minutes, the lift doors dinged open, revealing long marble corridor. A long red carpet stretched into the distance, ending at an immense golden door that was guarded by seven Praetorians, one from each cohort. As they approached, Jago recognised the cross-hammer emblem of Valmeyar's cohort on the shoulder of one of the guards, indicating that she was a member of the Foe-hammers. The others he assumed were members of the other cohorts whose commanders he had yet to meet. As they reached the door, one of the guards moved to block their progress.

"State your business" she said in clipped tones.

"The Almighty requested an audience with Captain Lind and Lord Twoarchs" said the Trainee, shifting uneasily under the Praetorian's stare. "I'm just here to escort them". The guard nodded and turned to.

"You may enter" she said and stood aside as the doors opened, revealing a large antechamber. After showing them inside, the Trainee backed out, leaving Jago and Lind alone in the room. It was fairly spacious, with more marble and a large bench-seat of some soft, red material. Jago sunk down onto it and sighed.

"How long do you think we will have to wait?" he asked.

"Had to say" replied Lind. "From the looks of things, The Almighty One is currently in a meeting with someone. It could be just a few minutes or we could be here hours". Jago nodded and he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"I thought as much" he said. "You will wake me when we're needed?" Lind nodded and sat down next to him, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her head on them. It was almost an hour before the far doors opened and the two people stepped out. Lind pinched Jago to wake him and they both got to their feet. It was then that they recognised the others as Belldandy and Keiichi, her in her official blue, white and gold robes and him in his hideous green, pin-striped suit and purple tie. They smiled as they spotted Jago and Lind and quickly made their way over to them.

"Good-day Lind, Mister Jago!" Belldandy said happily. "Are you here to see The Almighty?" Both Lind and Jago nodded.

"How was he?" Lind asked.

"Well he was happy to see us but…"

"Go on".

"He seemed a bit… distracted" said Belldandy, looking confused. "Although he was civil enough, he seemed to have something on his mind". Lind nodded and sighed.

"No doubt that would be us" she said. "Anyway, how are you settling back in? And Keiichi, how are you finding Heaven?" Keiichi grinned.

"It's awesome! I've never seen anything like it!" Lind nodded and smiled.

"That's good to hear". At that point, the far doors reopened to admit Lind and Jago. "We had better be going" she said. "Give my regards to our friends" said Lind.

"A tell Bob to keep his nose clean or he'll be for the high-jump" Jago said with a wink. Keiichi and Belldandy both nodded and smiled before turning to leave. Jago and Lind then turned to face the door.

"You ready?" Lind asked, giving Jago's hand a squeeze.

"Aye, that I am" he said. "Let's go and meet our maker then". Lind snorted as they started forward.

"Something like that" she said.

8888

The room wasn't quite what Jago had expected. He had expected another marble filled palace of splendour. Instead, it looked like an old-fashioned study. The walls were lined with bookshelves, with maps and charts scattered across the room. A globe occupied one corned and the skull of some long dead monstrosity the other. A fire crackled warmly under the mantle, with a portrait of some unidentified god hanging above it. Beside that was a large and ornately decorated war-hammer, its surface pitted from use. The desk was old oak, with a covering of worn green leather. An old fashioned computer monitor occupied one side of the desk, a stack of files the other. The only thing that seemed out of place in the room was the mug. It was bright pink and had the words "World's Best God" embossed on it in frighteningly green letters. And behind the desk was Lord Tyr, The Almighty One himself. He was tall, nearly seven foot and thin but it was clear that he was well muscled. He wore a long grey cloak and a black shirt with dark trousers and a pair of black leather riding boots. He had just one hand, his right having been replaced by a mechanical one that gently ticked as he moved, almost like a clock. His hair was silver, not that of age but that of a natural grey, was spikey and stuck out in odd directions, giving the air of someone who had been just been unplugged from an electric socket. His beard however was black and covered most of his face. His eyebrows were also black and incredibly bushy and would have been comical if it hadn't been for his eyes. It was his eyes that really gave him away; they were deep, piercingly blue and seemed to bore right through them, making Jago shiver. Lind knelt before the desk and bowed her head.

"Lord Tyr" she said with respect, thumping her left shoulder with her right hand. Jago seeing her do so also knelt and did the same, remaining silent as The Almighty raised an eyebrow. "Take your hat off!" Lind hissed to him.

"Oh! Sorry!" Jago whispered back, removing his Stetson and setting it on the ground. There were several tense moments of silence as he studied them and then he spoke.

"Greetings Captain Lind" he said warmly. "I trust you are well?" Lind raised her head and nodded.

"I am fine thank you". The Almighty One nodded.

"That's good to hear" he said. "And I'm assuming that this is Mister Jago, am I right?" Lind nodded.

"Yes. This is Jago". The Almighty sighed.

"He's caused me quiet some trouble, you know that?" he said. "Not only did he manage to bind an Archangel to Earth but he also lost me one of my most powerful fighters". Lind and Jago both stiffened.

"Your Lordship, if you'd please-" Lind started to say but he waved her into silence.

"It wasn't a complaint, it was an observation. I know that you weren't happy in the Valkyries anymore Lind and so I have decided to let it slide". He stared at Lind for a long while, seeming to chew something over in his mind. "I also understand that you are pregnant, am I right?" Lind nodded. "Well I must say that that DID catch me by surprise. I would have thought that Belldandy would have been the first to have a half-human child but no, it was Twin-angel Lind. You have always been something of an enigma to me Lind but I never thought that you would be one to fall for a human". He sighed. "Well, as they say; I work in mysterious ways. So mysterious that even I'm not sure what's going on". The Almighty paused for a second, seeming to consider something. "On another matter, I here that you are intending to try for the rank of Paladin?" he said, addressing Jago directly for the first time. Jago nodded.

"That's right" he said.

"Care to explain why?" Jago thought for a second.

"How much do you know about me? Most specifically, how much do I have to explain about my alter ego?"

"I know of him, this… Papa Jupiter as you call him. Every time he appears, alarm bells start ringing because apparently he overloads the Nidhogg computer system".

"Yep, that sounds like him. My worry is that he may be too powerful for his own good and I had originally planned to ask someone to help me seal him. After that run-in we had with Juggernaut, I thought that it might actually be advisable if I kept him around, just in case we run into something equally nasty in the future. What I didn't want however was for Lady Hild to find some excuse to turn me into something unpleasant and it was her who suggested that I go for Paladin". The Almighty was silent for a moment, rubbing his chin.

"Did it never occur to you that Hild might have been trying to get you killed? To become the Paladin is a virtual death sentence, even for the most powerful of deities, never mind a human". Jago nodded.

"I did actually consider that possibility but to be honest, I think I would be better off as a servant to both Heaven and Hell than as a irritating little sod with two powerful angels". Lind winced at this but Lord Tyr laughed.

"That was very well put" he said. "In that case, I shall leave the matter for now". He picked up a piece of paper from his desk and studied it for a second. "Hmm. That's right, there was something else" he said to himself and then looked back at Lind and Jago. "As I understand it, you are both planning on entering the Deity Games as representatives of Earth, am I right?" They both nodded.

"That's right my Lord" said Lind. "It was my decision to join Jago for this; I could not let him stand alone against the other races without some help at least". The Almighty nodded.

"That seems fair" he said. "In that case, I wish you the best of luck. I doubt I shall be needing to see you again for a while, although if I do, I will send for you". Lind nodded and bowed her head.

"I am always your servant" she said and both she and Jago turned to leave.

"Just wait a minute" The Almighty said. "Lind may go but I wish to talk to you a while longer Mister Jago". Jago glanced nervously at Lind who gave a barely perceptible nod before turning back around and heading back into the room.

"I'll wait for you out here" said Lind and with that the big doors closed. Jago turned to face The Almighty who sighed.

"Lind" he said. "She has always been the most difficult".

"Most difficult daughter?" Jago asked. The Almighty gave him a very stern look.

"Valmeyar?" he asked simply to which Jago nodded. "Be very careful who you say that to" The Almighty warned. "If you were to mention that to the wrong people, both you and Lind would be killed and Valmeyar and I would be stripped of our rank and powers and banished to the prison world of Ginnungagap".

"Is it really that bad?" Jago asked.

"For the Almighty One to have an affair and an illegitimate daughter who is set to take his place when he is retired? Yes".

"Right then, I won't mention it". The Almighty One nodded and stood, crossing the room to where Jago was standing. He peered down at him and inspected Jago.

"Hmm. I could possibly understand Belldandy and Keiichi as they are so similar but you and Lind… You are two completely different personalities. How she managed to fall for you, I don't know".

"Alcohol solves many problems" Jago said, his face dead straight.

"True" said Lord Tyr. "But I wonder why she decided to stay with you? You're not good looking, not particularly bright and your only skills appear to be metal working and fighting. So tell me, why would my daughter give up everything she had to live with someone like you?" Jago was silent for a moment, thinking.

"Honestly?" he said. "I have no idea what she sees in me. Like you said, I nothing special. However, I do have a couple of theories. Firstly; duty". The Almighty nodded.

"That would make sense" he said. "She considered it her duty to oversee you and the Archs and from there she developed feelings for you".

"Just what I was thinking".

"I know, I read your mind".

"I would ask you not too but you would probably just ignore me" Lord Tyr smiled.

"True" he said, returning to his desk and taking a seat whilst summoning a chair so that Jago could do the same. "What's your other theory then?"

"Companionship. Lind hasn't had many friends in her lifetime, with the exceptions of Heimdall and Keiichi and I'm the first to have the same problem as her".

"The same problem?" The Almighty asked in confusion.

"Two angels and nothing to lose".

"Well I guess your right there. Now may I ask you something; do you love her? And remember that I can read your mind so if you try and hide anything from me, I will know". Jago was silent for a moment and then he nodded.

"Yes. I love Lind. I am and always will be utterly devoted to her. However, I will never marry her. I know that my life expectancy as Paladin won't be long and when I die, it will probably be devastating for her. Doubly so if we were married". Lord Tyr nodded.

"I understand" he said. "But you love her. In that case, I give your relationship with her my blessing; for as long as she is happy with you, you have my protection". He paused, thinking of something. "Now Jago, I must ask you a favour; I wish to meet your Archs. I knew Astrakhan Lamb's Mistress well and I wish to speak with her and possibly determine who it might have been who attacked her. Plus, I would consider it an honour to meet the first Nightmare". Jago nodded and whispered to himself.

"Come on out girls" he said and Lamb and Damascus both appeared behind him, their cloth wraps that surrounded their legs connecting them to Jago's back. Damascus folded her arms across her chest and looked unimpressed to meet the ruler of Heaven whilst Lamb clasped her hands together and bowed her head respectfully.

"Greetings High Lord Tyr" she said and The Almighty One smiled.

"Well met Astrakhan Lamb" he said. "It is good to finally meet you in person".

"Thank you my Lord" she said, smiling.

"I was fond of your Mistress" he said. "It is rare that an Archangel chooses to follow the warrior's path and I was saddened when I learnt of her assassination". Lamb nodded sadly.

"Thank you my Lord. I may not remember her but I miss her dearly". She started to tear up but shook her head. "Sorry my Lord" she said and shook her head again. "As it is though, I am happy to serve my Master. He is kind and he cares for both Damascus and I and despite our differences, he treats us equally and fairly". The Almighty nodded.

"That's good to hear. I hope that you will take care of him as he does you" he said and then turned to Damascus. "So they call you Damascus now do they Nightmare?" he said coldly. "You have caused us quite some trouble in your time. However, I suppose that you have also inadvertently been our salvation. Without your discovery of energy transfer methods, both Heaven and Hell would have faded long ago". Damascus nodded stiffly.

"Thank you" she said. "It is always a pleasure to meet the current Almighty One in person". The Almighty chuckled.

"I bet it is" he said. He turned back to Jago.

"So what exactly are your plans if you pass the Paladin test? Will you return to Earth?"

"Not immediately" Jago said. "I think I'll stay here for a short while and then I'll head back. I have business to look after and I enjoy what I do. However, I will only go if either Lind wants to leave or if she insists that I leave if she must stay. She promised that she would look after me and my angels and I promised Valmeyar that I would look after her. Plus, I don't want to separated from our son when he's born; I gotta prove that I'm not a hillbilly".

"But Master, you are a hillbilly" Lamb said.

"Well yeah, but when he figures that out, I've gotta prove that just because I'm a hillbilly, doesn't mean I'm dumb". The Almighty snorted at the brief exchange.

"I like that" he said. "You freely admit that you're a hillbilly in front of The Almighty".

"Well it's true" Jago said. "I am also disqualified from the human race for shoving, a member of the species _Pan narans_, so story telling apes (*1) and for some reason I'm also a registered voodoo priest".

"I can understand all but the last one" The Almighty said.

"You will be amazed at what you'll do for fun at four in the morning and after half a bottle of straight vodka. Lind is of course allowed to return to Earth if she chooses, once the Games are over?"

"Yes, as a Valkyrie Captain, she is free to come and go as she chooses although if she is needed, we will contact her and possibly you too, if you survive that is. Whatever the case may be though, I can say that I am glad to have met you". He held out his hand so that first Jago and the Lamb could shake it. Damascus just gave a respectful nod which he returned. "Now, you are free to go. I suggest that you make your way to the Valkyrie training fields so that you may meet some of Lind's former comrades". Jago nodded and was about to turn to leave when he paused. He thumped his right hand against his left shoulder and bowed his head briefly.

"Thank you my Lordship. I forever at your service".

"And I am at yours, my Lord Paladin". Jago looked shocked for a second and The Almighty One gave him a brief wink. "Now you had better hurry, she will be waiting for you". Jago nodded, recalled his angels, turned and left.

"Good day to you my Lord" he said and stepped into the antechamber where Lind was sat quietly, waiting for him.

"Well? How was it?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"I don't think he likes me very much but we appear to have reached an understanding". Lind nodded and smiled.

"Good. So what do we do now?"

"Well, he suggested that we proceed to the training fields so that I can meet some of the other Valkyries". Lind's face fell a little but she nodded.

"Yes, that does make sense" she said. "However, before we do so, might I suggest that we collect our weapons? We're probably going to need them".

"I got mine" Jago said, pulling aside his jacket to reveal his khukuri.

"You're gonna need more than that where we're going" she said and then smiled. "Don't worry, I'll look after you". Jago snorted.

"Who says I need looking after?"

8888

The Almighty One leaned back in his chair, gently massaging his temples.

"I really have to stop dealing with humans" he muttered to himself. "At this rate, all of my daughters will be with human men". He grinned to himself. "Still, not such a bad thing I suppose. At least I know that they will be well looked after". He paused, considering the two men that his middle daughters had fallen for. One was a nice with a caring and loving heart. The other was a boisterous and friendly person one the outside who concealed a certain cold-heartedness that was willing to do whatever was needed to protect not only himself but others that he cared for. As he had described himself; a vicious bastard. Two completely different people for two different daughters. But were two humans enough to face Kronos? The Almighty One had been warned by Hild of the probability that one of the Praetorians was conspiring to free the Titan and had tried to assassinate Lamb in order to prevent this from happening. However, Lord Deaderuss had so far been unable to uncover anything that might lead them to the culprit. Perhaps Jago's presence in Heaven would be enough to force the traitor's hand? He could only hope so.

8888

The Valkyrie's training fields were located atop one of the huge towers, balancing on the thin spire like a spinning plate on a straw. The fields were almost ten miles across and carpeted with grass. Surrounding the perimeter were several tiers of stands, clearly intended to hold a large crowd, presumably in the event of a dual. Currently however, the field was packed with Valkyries. Some were training on their own whilst others fought against each other or in groups.

"Well there sure are a lot of them" said Jago. "How many Valkyries are there?" Lind thought for a second.

"Well, there are seven cohorts in total, with approximately one-thousand Valkyries per cohort".

"So… about seven thousand?" Lind nodded.

"That's about right" she said. As they were talking however, one of the closest groups of Valkyries had spotted them and they were now making her way over to them.

"Uh oh, here comes trouble" Jago said and Lind nodded darkly. The group was composed of four Valkyries; two Privates, a Corporal and a Captain. The Captain led the group and she exuded a confident air as she headed straight for Lind.

"Captain Lind" she said with a sneer. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes". Lind frowned at the other Valkyrie.

"Captain Irpa" Lind said curtly. The other Captain was as tall as she was, with pale violet hair and deep blue eyes, with a four pointed star on her forehead and smaller ones on her cheeks. And while Lind's shoulder sash marked her as the Captain of the elite first cohort, those and of her and her companions showed that they were members of the third cohort, the deep-strike specialists. She grinned at Lind and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well I never thought that I would see you here again" she said. "I heard that you had been banished and were prohibited from returning". She continued to sneer at Lind. "All because of a foolish one-night-stand with some nobody of a human". Lind didn't say anything, just continued to glare at Irpa who then walked around Lind to stand directly in front of Jago. "And I'm guessing that this is the human in question" she said. "Well I'm not exactly impressed" she said.

"Have you got any idea how many times I've been told that in the last few months?" Jago said. Irpa snorted.

"And she taught the monkey to talk" she said. She then turned to face Lind again. "I'm ashamed to call you a fellow Captain" she said to her. By this point a crowd of other Valkyries, mostly of the third cohort. They whispered to one another and one or two giggled at the disgrace of the once mighty Lind. Irpa circled Lind and Jago like a jackal, grinning and sneering. ""Would you look at this" she said. "The ape can speak but the whore remains silent. Well Lind, have you lost your voice?"

"No" she said. "Now why don't you let us pass Captain Irpa? Jago and I are not looking for a fight". Irpa snorted.

"What? The mighty Lind refusing to fight? She truly has fallen!" With a sudden jerk, Irpa thumped Lind backward, into the waiting arms of two of the other Valkyries. With a roar Lind stuck backward, her elbow connecting with the stomach of one of the pair. The Valkyrie collapsed and using her free hand Lind reached around herself, grasped the other Valkyrie by her collar and lifted her high over her head before bringing her down in front of her with a deep thump. However, as she came down, the falling Valkyrie grasped the back of Lind's jacket, pulling it off as she went. And revealing Lind's brand. There was a collective gasp from the assembled Valkyries. "Y-you!" Irpa gasped. "You have the traitors mark!" Lind stood and glared at her. "You truly have fallen! You whore! Slut! Bitch!" She stepped forward, spitting venom. "You are a disgrace Lind! You-"

"Enough!" Every Valkyrie on the field turned to see Jago standing over the fallen Irpa, cracking his knuckles back into place. "You can insult me as much as you want but you do not insult my Lind!" he said, glaring around the circle. Irpa looked furious as the Valkyrie Corporal who had first accompanied her helped her to her feet.

"You damn dirty ape!" she shouted, wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and she turned towards one of the Privates. "Teach him some manners!" she said. The Valkyrie nodded and stepped forward, raising her fists and grinning. Jago snorted.

"You're a bloody fool who's gonna get lamped!" he said to her. She ignored him and took a step closer. Then in a single fluid motion, Jago stepped forward and punched her square in the face. She went down, hard and without a sound, not moving. There was stunned silence from all around. Then Irpa spoke.

"You two!" she said, gesturing to a pair of Valkyries. "Take him!" The pair nodded, summoning their weapons; a poleaxe and a spiked mace as Jago reached around for the weapons that he carrying on his back, pulling his hittin stick free.

"What's that?" one of the pair scoffed. "You're going to face us with a twig?" Jago tutted at her.

"If you must know, it's my hittin stick and yes; I am going to fight you with it". The mace wielding Valkyrie snorted and raised her weapon.

"You think we're fools? Prepare to fell pain!" As a pair, the two rushed him, brandishing their weapons. However, Jago was ready. As the mace wielder charged, he side stepped and let her charge past him. As she drew level with him however, he raised his stick high above his head and then using both hands, brought it hard down on her head with a firm "WACK!" She went cross eyed and dropped like a stone but before she had even hit the ground, he had pivoted and with his right hand, he caught the other Valkyrie's poleaxe by the haft, just below the blade. He grinned wickedly and wrenched the weapon free of her hands and tossed it aside. Simultaneously, he thrust his stick forward, striking her just beneath the chest and forcing her to back away, gasping as the impact traumatised her solar plexus. The other Valkyries backed away, muttering at the brutal efficiency at which three of their number had defeated by the human. Irpa glared angrily at them.

"What's wrong with you all?" she shouted. "You can't even defeat a single human! I'll show you how it's done!" With that, she summoned her sword and raced at Jago. He turned to face her but by the time he had turned; she had leapt over him and landed nimbly behind him. She spun and swung her sword, aiming for his neck, knowing that there was no way he could turn in time to stop her. However, her blade juddered to a halt, an inch from Jago's neck and she looked up to see the raging face of Astrakhan Lamb looking down at her, her eyes glowing a deep amber. She had caught the blade with her bare hands and a thin trickle of ghost-white angel's blood ran down to the tip but she didn't appear to notice.

"YOU. DO. NOT. TOUCH. MY. MASTER!" she growled through gritted teeth and she pushed the blade back as Jago turned, pulling his khukuri free of its sheath. Irpa was shocked by the sight of the angel and so absorbed was she that she failed to spot the incoming stick until Jago had clouted her on the side of the head. She dropped to the ground in a daze, releasing her sword as she went and had barely recovered as Jago's knees landed on her chest, forcing the breath out of her. She wheezed and weakly tried to heave the big man off of her but stopped as Jago laid his khukuri against her throat.

"What… Who are you?" she whispered.

"You should know" he said calmly. "I believe that call me Twoarchs". Her eyes went wide with fear at this and he grinned down at her. With a single move, he withdrew his blade from her throat and fluidly sliced it across her hand, drawing a thin line of blood. She cried out made no attempt to resist until Jago stood and sheathed his heavy knife, its need to taste blood sated. He glared around the field at the assembled Valkyries who back off under his stare. Without a word, Damascus materialised next to him and now there was a note of fear from the Heavenly soldiers. "You know me!" Jago shouted. "I am Twoarchs! Jago Finch! Warrior smith and soon; Paladin! I am under the protection of Captain Lind, goddess first class, special category, unlimited licence and similarly, commander of the first Valkyrie cohort and likewise, she is under mine! I will give you all one warning; if any of you try to harm her then I will personally hunt you down!" He turned away from the stunned Valkyries and headed over to Lind. "How was that?" he whispered to her, retrieving her jacket and handing it to her. Lind accepted it and shrugged.

"A bit flashy I think put you got your point across". Jago nodded and he then turned to Lamb.

"Thank you lass, you saved my bacon". The angel nodded and smiled.

"It's my job Master" she said. Jago frowned in concern as a thin trickle of blood ran from between her fingers.

"Alright lass? Let me see the hand". Lamb glanced down and clenched her hand into a defensive fist.

"It's fine Master. Just a scratch" she said but Jago shook his head.

"No, you let me have a look. Come on, you just caught a sword with your bare hand so I doubt it's just a scratch". Eventually, Lamb nodded and tentatively held out her hand so that the others could see it. To their surprise, she hadn't been lying; the blade had barely broken the skin and while it was bleeding, it wasn't heavy. "Bloody hell Lamb!" Jago said. "What the Hell is your skin made of?" Even Lind was impressed.

"That's quite a feat" she said. "Irpa is strong, even by Valkyrie standards but you appear to have got away almost unharmed". Lamb fluttered her wings a little in embarrassment.

"It's nothing, really". Damascus then gently took her hand and muttered a spell, causing the skin to neatly knit itself back together.

"There" she said. "Now you owe me one Lamb".

"Excuse me?" They turned to see a group of nervous looking Valkyrie Trainees, standing and shuffling their feet.

"Yes?" Jago asked.

"Well if you would excuse us… Lord Twoarchs sir… only we were wondering… I mean if it's not too much trouble…"

"Spit it out" Lind said, her voice showing her slight annoyance towards the young Trainees.

"It's just we were wondering if Lord Twoarchs would be willing to show us how he did what he did. I mean, he beat three senior Valkyries using just a stick and so we were wondering whether-?"

"You were wondering whether I could show you how I did it?" Jago said. The Trainees nodded in embarrassment.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble?" Jago glanced at Lind who nodded.

"Alright, just give us a sec". He unslung his tower-shield, his mauls, his shot gun and his rucksack, setting them down in a heap. He then buried the end of his stick in the ground and turned to the trainees. "Now who's the strongest?" he asked. The trainees looked confused and he sighed, pulling off his jacket and holding out his arm. "I need to know roughly how strong you guys are so that I don't hurt anyone". He bent his arm at the elbow so that his forearm pointed vertically. "So I want the strongest of you to try and pull my arm down. That is,want you to pull it out straight". The trainees looked uncertain but one nevertheless stepped forward, grasping his forearm with both arms. "Ready?" Jago asked the Trainee nodded and started to pull. Jago grunted and locked his arm as the trainee pulled. Her muscles strained and shook but she was unable to shift Jago's arm. Jago grinned. "Not too shabby" he said, "now let go". The trainee nodded and released his arm. "Right then, I think… that should do it" he muttered to himself and he rubbed his chin. "Ok, I need a volunteer" he said finally. Most of the trainees stepped back and Lind snorted.

"None of you will face him?" she said, looking unimpressed. "He asked for a volunteer so I suggest that one of you step up".

"Well if none of them will do it then I will" someone said. They turned to see Chrono, decked out in her full combat gear and her poleaxe in her hand, making her way across the field towards them. Jago grinned.

"Hey-up Chrono! How you doing?" Chrono smiled.

"I'm good" she said. "I thought I would check in on you two. Anyway, I heard that you wanted a volunteer for these other Trainees".

"Alright" Jago said and then he turned Lamb and Damascus. "Take five girls". The Archs nodded and drifted over to where Lind had taken a seat on thin air as Jago stooped and fished his mauls out from under his pile of gear. He readied a fighting pose and grinned.

"Ready lass?" Chrono nodded and levelled her poleaxe. As an afterthought, Jago glanced across a the other trainees. "You might want to take notes" he said. "I know you girls learn skill fighting but this is probably the first time you've seen a brawler in action". He turned back to Chrono and winked. And he attacked.

*1 Evolution happened, deal with it!

**Authors Note: I know the last few chapters haven't been great but the next couple are going to be EPIC! I promise**.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**The Deity Games**

"I'm exhausted" the youngest of the group said as they made their way back to the barracks. She was ignored by most of the older Valkyries but two of the others nodded. It had definitely been a more strenuous than average day for the Valkyries, what with the appearance of both Twoarchs and Captain Lind and following the fight between Jago and Irpa's group, he had gone on to give some of the Trainees a lesson in brawl fighting, courtesy of Lind's apprentice. Following that, he had set the trainees against each other and had graded each on how well they had been able to copy his fighting style. Not that it actually was a style; it was more brute force mixed with improvisation, cunning and blind luck. In theory, Trainees though she was, Chrono should have been easily capable of beating him. However he was always somehow just out of the way or had one of his mauls in just the right place to block an attack or deliver a crushing blow and so he had beaten her without taking a scratch. After a while, some of the older Valkyries had started to drift over and eventually, Jago had decided to teach them all. To most this would have been insulting but the combined presence of the infamous Lind and Jago's enthusiasm had convinced many to listen and as such, soon a full half of the Valkyrie corps had gotten involved. Jago however was disappointed and as punishment, he had offered the worst offenders two choices; either a one-on-one duel with him or be forced to play a rugby match. They had chosen rugby. They had regretted it. Some were still looking for their teeth, especially after Jago had taken the place of one of the prop-forwards.

"Still" said one of the older Valkyries, a grizzled Sergeant with greying hair, "at least we can have some peace now". They made their way along the corridor towards the combined kitchen/living room that served as the Valkyrie's social and recreational centre. However as they approached, they smelt cooking and they could hear singing. A man singing. While the barracks were mixed sex and there were a number of male Valkyries, there weren't any on this floor. But it was definitely a male voice, singing a country song of all things;

_"Living on love, buyin on time",_

_"Without somebody, noting aint worth a dime",_

_"Just like that old-fashioned storybook rhyme",_

_"Just living on love". _

Curious, they pushed open the door and were surprised to find Jago busy at one of the great stoves, singing whilst frying something. The air was thick with the smell of spices and tender meat and the counter was covered with various jars, bottles and a vial that was clearly marked with a skull and cross-bones.

_"Well it sounds simple, that's what you're thinking",_

_"But love can walk through fire without blinking",_

_"It's not much when you get enough"_

_"Just living on love"._

He paused in his song, dipping a spoon into the pan in front of him and giving it a taste.

"Hmm" he said. "Maybe a little more cumin".

"Excuse me?" one of the Valkyries asked. "What are you doing?" Jago turned and grinned at the Valkyries.

"Oh! Hello, I didn't realise that I had visitors!"

"But aren't you…?"

"Jago Finch, at your service!" he said with a grin. "I would offer you my hand but I can't shake while I'm cooking". He picked up a small jar of what was presumably cumin and tapped a little into the pan before tasting it again and then nodded. "Mmm, now that's the good stuff" he said. He continued with his cooking as the Valkyries continued to stare.

"But… Twoar- Jago" said one of the Valkyries. "What are you doing here?" Jago glanced over his shoulder.

"I'm making curry. Want some?" All he got was curious looks. "Is that a no?" Jago asked.

"No it's just-"

"You weren't expecting to see me here, is that right?"

"Well yes? So what exactly are you doing here?"

"Maybe I can explain that". They turned to see Lind enter the room through the other door, towelling off her hair from a shower and wearing Jago's borrowed dressing gown. It was blue and so fluffy; it would make a sheep jealous, if not for the stains.

"Captain Lind!" The younger members of the group bowed their heads to the senior captain as she made her way across the room. Lind touched her brow in the vaguest suggestion of a salute.

"Jago is here as an emissary from Earth, representing the Earth in the upcoming games. However, as he and I have been… living together for the last few months, it was decided that while he was here, he should move in with me". She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that's ok with you?" She turned as Jago laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright lass" he said. "They're just curious". He turned to the Valkyries. "I be supposing you're all hungry so I'll make double portions of my "curry-ina-hurry" he said. They gave Lind a look and she sighed.

"I would if I were you; else he's just going to get upset. Don't worry though, he's a fair cook".

"Certainly better than you are!" Jago said. "I still haven't for that cock-up with the fugu! Not to mention the fact that you thought "vollmilch" meant using actual voles!"

"It's not my fault!" said Lind looking indignant. "You made me think you were serious!"

"Oh yes. How do you get the little suction-cups on?" Lind snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Why do I put up with you?" she asked in a half-serious tone. Jago grinned.

"Force of habit?" he suggested.

"Are you two always like this?" one of the Valkyries asked. Jago nodded.

"Off and on" he said. "Now I suggest that you go and wash up, the curry will be ready soon".

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By the end of the evening, Jago was good terms with most of them, partly due to his cooking and partly due to his natural bounciness. Lind was still quiet and reserved but for the first time in the presence of the other Valkyries, she actually smiled. By the end of the week, they were accepted as semi-permanent residents of the barracks and as such, they enjoyed themselves. They had already begun the set up a routine as the remaining time until the Games slowly ticked away. After breakfast, they would head to the training fields and they would spar against each other or anyone who fancied their chances against them. After a few days, there were very few of those, although Jago eventually cancelled the impromptu rugby matches after the Valkyries became frighteningly good at it.

"They're all cheating harlots!" Jago had said after one particularly brutal match and winced as Damascus removed her hand from a particularly painful bruise.

"What makes you say that?" Lind asked.

"Well they have no concept of NOT kicking a man in the crotch as he tries to get past". He winced again. "I would be better off trying to mud-wrestle an angry porcupine!" However, despite the repeated beatings, Jago quickly developed a reputation for being unstoppable as Lind and as such; he started to receive visits from some of the Valkyries. As it turned out, many of them were hopelessly hopeful romantics but Jago turned them all down. He was loyal to Lind and that was the end of things. Lind also received visits, mostly comrades from old missions wanting to catch up with her or otherwise, well-wishers. At this point, Lind was the only goddess who was expecting and as such, she had become somewhat of a celebrity, much to her annoyance. Overall though, they were happy, even if their neighbours complained about the noise they made during their late night love-making. That was, until the day they met Deaderuss.

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It was the day before the Games were due to start. Jago and Lind were at the training fields, with her practicing her close-combat drills while Jago demonstrated the stopping power of his Homeland 37 shotgun.

"Well as you can see, this is why you don't stand right in front of this bloody thing" he said, pushing two fingers through one of the various holes that had been blown in the chunk of sheet metal that he had been using as a target.

"I think we might need to get some of those for us" said one of the Valkyries. "It would be a fair alternative to a mid-power fire spell". Jago shrugged.

"Perhaps but you have to remember that it loses power with range. If you wanna kill something, you gotta get up close and really-"but he stopped as he realised that the training fields had fallen silent, the Valkyries all facing in one direction. He turned to see a group of Praetorians who had just arrived on the field and were making their way over to them. They wore full battle-dress; the full scale-mail shirts, the long white cloaks and skirts and the winged helmets that covered their faces and they moved with a speed and precision that made the Valkyries appear clumsy by comparison. They stopped just short of Jago and Lind, where the leader stepped forward and saluted them by thumping her shoulder with her hand.

"Captain Lind, Master Finch" she said, with obvious distaste, "High Lord Deaderuss requests your presence in his office".

"Alright" said Jago. "Just give me a few minutes to-"

"Immediately" said the Praetorian with a note of impatience. Jago glanced at Lind who nodded and he nodded too.

"Ok, lead on then".

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Lind and Jago both knelt before Deaderuss's desk as the High Lord inspected them casually from his seat.

"Well Lind… I'm surprised to see you back here" he said. "I thought I had banished you permanently". He raised a hand as she went to speak. "I understand how and why you were allowed to return; I was informed by Lady Anzus. I may not agree with the decision" he said, sneering, "as we don't usually allow traitors into Heaven but it is not my place to countermand the orders of my superiors". He chuckled and the other Praetorians laughed along with him; a thin, cruel laugh that had nothing to do with humour. Jago risked a glance at the other Praetorians who surrounded the desk. He recognised Valmeyar amongst them who laughed along the others but gave him an almost imperceptible nod and rolled her eyes slightly. Jago grinned and the laughing stopped. "Something funny human?" one of the Praetorians Ladies asked, stepping forward and laying a hand on the haft of her axe. Jago shook his head.

"Nope, just smiling" he said. "You see, the once changed one day when I was feeling happy and my face stuck, so I'm always smiling". The Lady gritted her teeth and took a step forward but thought better of it. In the meantime, Lord Deaderuss had begun to speak again.

"So Lind, am I right in understanding that you will be representing the Earth in the Games tomorrow?" Lind nodded.

"Yes my Lord" she said simply. Deaderuss wrinkled his brow.

"Why?" Lind lifted her head slightly.

"Forgive me my Lord but I thought that I would be better off supporting the Earth than Heaven in this case. Jago is a truly formidable fighter by I considered that it would be in his favour if I were there to support him". Deaderuss nodded.

"I see. So betrayed us not twice but three times" he said with a sneer. Lind's head shot up.

"My Lord?" she said in confusion.

"You do not recall? Let me rephrase it then; first you fail to recover the Arch, then you bed a human. Not just any human but a slow, fat, hairy oath who-"

"Oi!" said Jago. "I resemble that remark!"

"Silence human!" Deaderuss roared, his temper suddenly breaking through. "By all rights, I should have had you killed the moment that you stepped of that poorly built machine of yours! The fact that you are still alive is by my blessing only!" Jago snorted.

"You could try and kill me but it won't do you any good; I could beat any one of your Lords with one hand tied behind my back". Lord Deaderuss snorted.

"Care to demonstrate?" he said sourly.

"Don't do it Jago…" Lind growled to him but he ignored her and got to his feet, pulling a length of para-cord from his pocket and using it to bind one wrist to his belt.

"Right then" Jago said and pointed towards the Lady who had threatened him earlier. "I'll take you". The Lady nodded and stepped forward, a grin spreading across her face and unsheathed her axe. She was tall, almost as tall as Jago and her white hair gleamed from under her ornate helmet. She grinned wickedly as she advanced on Jago who tutted at the axe. "Now that's fighting dirty!" he said. Then he attacked. With a single move, he swung his right hand up, grabbing the Praetorian's wrist and twisting hard, yanking the axe from her grip as his foot was firmly planted in her stomach. She grunted and doubled over as Jago tossed her axe aside. "One-nil to Jago" he said. However, before he could react, she struck back. In a whirlwind of motion, the Praetorian shot forward, kicking, thumping and beating, taking Jago by complete surprise. He did his best but with only one hand useable, he could only do so much to defend himself. Lind half rose, ready to help him but she felt someone contact her mentally.

"_Don't do it Lind"_ the voice said.

"_Mother?"_

"_Yes"_ said Valmeyar. "_Deaderuss is looking for an excuse to banish you again. If you help Jago, you'll both suffer"._

_"But he's suffering now!"_ Lind retorted desperately.

"_I don't think so"_ said Valmeyar. "_Look"_. Lind watched as the gloating Praetorian backed away from Jago who had been beaten to one knee. She had turned away from him and turned to grin at her compatriots who were all sneering at Jago. However, it was barely a second before he was back on his feet.

"RIGHT! COME 'ERE!" he shouted and he tackled the Praetorian, wrapping his arm around her as she turned back to face him. She struggled to break free but even with just one useable arm, it was now clear that he was stronger than she was. As she wriggled in his grip, he leaned forward and using his teeth, he yanked the helmet from her head and tossed it aside. She gasped and looked into his eyes as he winked at her. And then he leaned back and head-butted her as hard as he could. She went down. She stayed down.

**"**_I told you he would be fine"_ Valmeyar said to Lind.

"Who's next?" Jago asked, snapping his nose back into place with a clack. Deaderuss waved his hand vaguely.

"No, that was fine. I now believe Lind's words. At least now I can understand how she may have fallen for a lowly human. If you can defeat a Praetorian with a single blow then you must truly be worthy opponent. Very well, I shall allow you to not only live but remain here at your own discretion. As I understand it, you have placed Lind under our protection as well?" Jago nodded. "Very well, she may stay too. Just remember one thing" he said. "I'm not only the one who can decide whether you are allowed to live but I am also one of those who you must convince if you are to become Paladin. Keep that in mind while you are here". Jago nodded sagely and bowed his head. "Now, the pair of you are free to leave. I have other business to attend to". Jago and Lind both nodded and left, the big doors closing behind them.

"Well" said Jago. "That was… hmm".

"You're a bloody fool!" Lind snapped at him. "He could have killed you on the spot!"

"Well I think he's a pretentious git with poor taste" said Jago. Lind blinked.

"What? We were talking about the possibility of him killing you, not whether he was pretentious or not". Jago snorted.

"Well you missed it then" he said. "He's a wannabe who's been promoted above his station". Lind looked confused.

"What make you say that?" she asked.

"His desk" said Jago. "A serious man knows that warn green leather is the way forward. Not soft, clean and red leather. That's only for wannabes, pretenders and playboys".

"I still don't follow you" she said. Jago sighed.

"It means that I have just managed to get a fair measure of the entire Praetorian corps from that one meeting; strong but led by fools and easily beaten with the right application of force in the right place". Lind nodded, impressed although she remained unsure.

"I hope your right" she said. "It's almost certain that you'll have to fight at least one Praetorian tomorrow".

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In the snows of Jötunnheim, Kayrune stirred. She had been struggling for what seemed like hours, the biting cold cutting into her. She had seen the traitors, the Praetorians, descend and had been forced to lie still, feigning death as they had searched her and her sisters. Finding nothing of value however, they had been left and now she had to make her escape. She was weak and she could feel herself growing weaker by the minute but she knew that she must press on. She had to warn Lind of the treachery! But why? Why had the Praetorians, the most loyal of warriors of Heaven and Hell, sided with the Jötunns; those red eyed, cannibalistic frost giants? They were the foulest of the foul, known for eating their prisoners so why were the Praetorians protecting them? However, Kayrune didn't have long to contemplate this. The sound of heavy footsteps through the snow caught her attention and she collapsed, again feigning death in hope that she might be ignored. And then she saw them; the Jötunn soldiers.

There were three of them, deep blue against the harsh grey and white of the snow and mountains, while their glowing red eyes peered around, searching and hunting. Their stench reached Kayrune easily from where they were standing; the scent of rot, decay and toxic snow, forcing her to hold herself back so as not to gag. They all wore filthy loin-cloths from which glittered the grim knives of bone that they used to butcher their prey and alongside these hung the skulls of those they had killed. And they truly were giant. The shortest of the three was a little over seven foot tall, about as tall as The Almighty but far bulkier and hideously scarred, like the smaller members of their kind often were. The tallest on the other hand was truly massive; closer to fifteen foot tall and with a lank beard of greasy black hair. Gold rings adorned his hands and most sinisterly, a pair of freshly cut angels wings adorned his back as a grisly trophy, taken from one of the Valkyries who had probably survived the Praetorian ambush, only to be murdered and eaten by these foul beings. It was the worst fate that could befall a Valkyrie; to be devoured by frost giants, the only race that had no morals, no code and no allegiances. Demons were evil but they at least had a perverse sense of honour. Jötunns were just as happy eating each other as they were eating their enemies. And this would now likely happen to Kayrune. All she could do was lie still, listen and hope that she wasn't discovered.

"That was easier than expected" said the largest of the Jötunns, running his hands through the feathers of the severed wings.

"Agreed" said the smallest. "With the Praetorians on our side, we are free to come and go as we wish. Not even the Valkyries or the Niflgaurd dare challenge us. I don't see why we don't just attack now!" The middle one thumped the smallest on the back of his head with the sound like two icebergs colliding.

"Idiot!" he said. "There are still some who can challenge them. That is why they are insisting that the Games be held, so as to find the strongest of our enemies and kill them before we can launch our invasion". Kayrune's ears pricked up. An invasion? The Jötunns were planning an invasion? But where? And how? Then she realised; that was why the Gate had been stolen. She was to provide the means for the giants to travel. And if that were the case then they could only have one target in mind; Earth! With the Valkyries unable to dispatch forces there and the Praetorians apparently having changed sides, the Earth would be defenceless against an invasion of Jötunns.

"What about this… Paladin?" the largest asked. "What has been said about him?" The middle giant shrugged.

"Not much but he appears to be one our biggest threats. He is mated with the One-Winged Terror and she carries his child". The largest nodded.

"So what does Deaderuss plan to do about him?" Deaderuss? The head of the Praetorians? Was he the one leading this treachery? And if so, then why had Hell's Praetorians joined him?

"He has been tricked into competing in the Games too" said the middle giant. "Deaderuss has promised that his personal assassin will deal with him, make it look like an accident during the competition. And if that fails then he said that he would send… Gandamak". Both the other giants shuddered in fear at the mention of the monster's name. Gandamak was ancient evil, more powerful than Hild and Lord Tyr combined. If this new Paladin was truly to face the monster then he was as good as dead! And Lind. So Kayrune's former Mistress was pregnant? True it would make her stronger but it would also make her a more obvious target. She would be killed too. But why would Deaderuss risk releasing Gandamak? It was a very dangerous move. There were few who could defeat him in open combat and for him to be released must mean…

Kayrune gasped and then covered her mouth to hide the sound, hoping that the Jötunns hadn't heard her. There was only one way that Gandamak could be realised and that was if one of the Old Gods was returning, one of the Titans. And if they were returning, then they were truly doomed. She lay quietly for a while as the Jötunns slowly began to drift away, heading off into the dark and then she slowly pulled herself to her knees so that she could continue to crawl through the snow. It was now imperative that she warn Lind; with Deaderuss and the Praetorians turned traitor and the threat of not only Gandamak but also the Titans looming large and fast, she knew that she must warn them. It may not do much good but at least there would be some chance… A chance of survival.

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Deaderuss and Lady Angrboða met together shortly after Jago and Lind had left.

"How dare he!" Deaderuss fumed as he paced across his office. "To think that a mere human could make me look like a fool!" Angrboða sighed at her Heavenly opposite.

"It was your own fault" she said in frustration. "You goaded him and he responded. It was your own fault that you failed to realise just how strong he had become". Deaderuss stopped in his pacing.

"Now there's a point, how did he go from barely being able to fight three humans to being able to defeat a Praetorian with a single blow in just four months? That should be impossible!" Angrboða nodded.

"True but at the moment, it is of little consequence. For now let us worry about tomorrow. Is your apprentice ready? Will she be able to kill him?" Deaderuss nodded.

"Yes. It is certain that they will meet during the duelling event and I have given her instructions to do whatever is needed to kill him. We cannot risk his Arch regaining her memory. Not when we are so close!"

"And if she fails?" Deaderuss sneered at her.

"If she fails then we release Gandamak, as we planned. There is no being in this world who can defeat that monster and with luck, he'll sow enough confusion to cover our attack". Angrboða looked unsure.

"Can we trust Gandamak? He is… temperamental at best". Deaderuss snorted.

"It won't matter even if we can't trust him; as soon as the way is clear, Kronos will come and even the power of Gandamak will be insufficient to hold him at bay". The pair grinned and laughed. So, tomorrow it would be. Tomorrow they would finish what they had started. Heaven would fall. And Hell would burn.

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Jago gently ran the small karda knife down the blade of his khukuri, keening the blade to a razors edge. He tested it with his thumb and the glanced around at the others as each prepared in their own way for the upcoming contests. It was the day of the Deity Games and it was clear that they were all nervous. Lind paced back and forth, making practice swings with her halberd as she went, Keiichi and Bell were both tinkering with Keiichi's bike which had been brought with them one the Tanngrisnir, while Urd, Peorth and Mara all practiced their magic as a warm up for the main event. Jago sighed and leaned on his chin the hilt of his knife.

"This is gonna be one be Hell of a day" he said.

"Don't worry" said Lind. "You'll be fine". She stopped her pacing and sat down next to him, putting a hand over his. He grinned and smiled gently as he gave her had a quick squeeze.

"Thanks lass" he said. Just then, the main doors opened and an announcer entered.

"If all those who are representing Earth would care to follow me, we are about to begin the opening ceremony".

"Time to go then" Urd said and they all stood to leave. Just before he stood, Jago nicked his wrist to leave a little trickle of blood and then sheathed his khukuri and turned to follow the others. They were led down a series of corridors until they came to a short tunnel that ended in a bright light.

"If you would care to follow the tunnel and simply make your way to your groups designated marked, we will be ready to start. However, it has been insisted that Mister Morisato and Lord Twoarchs must lead the group". Jago and Keiichi looked at each other and nodded and took their places at the head of the group. "Good luck" the announcer said and she left.

"Is that it?" Jago asked. "She's gonna leave us here?"

"Perhaps we should precede then?" Belldandy asked and as a group, they head into the light.

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The arena was vast. The Valkyrie fields were about ten miles across but these were so vast that even though they were completely flat, there was no way to see the far side. And surrounding the entire ring, in tiers of seats that reached up higher than the highest buildings of Earth. Every race, every species, they were all there. Gods and goddesses it regal whites, blues and golds. Demons in black, red and bronze. Dwarfs in chainmail. Elves in their fantastically coloured robes. Machiners, trolls, faeries, Lorelei, pixies, sprites, hobbits and others; far more races than could possibly be counted. The noise was also colossal, the sound of millions of voices all talking simultaneously in a hundred different dialects. To say that it was a little daunting would have been an understatement.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph" Bob said softly. "I've never seen so many people before".

"I'm not surprised" said Saga, whispering to him.

"There are more people here than there are in most cities on Earth" said Eir.

"Don't worry" said Chrono, leaning close to him. "It's not them we have to worry about. It's the other competitors". They snatched a quick glance at the nearest groups; one the right were a band of rowdy goblins who bickered and argued with a sound like a swarm of angry birds whilst on the left stood almost a most of Heaven's competitors; hundreds of goddesses, with a handful of gods scattered amongst them. Most stood perfectly still but occasionally, one would steal a glance at them when they thought that they weren't looking.

"So how long until the Games actually start?" Keiichi asked.

"Not long now" said Belldandy. "In fact" she said nodding towards the stands, "they're about to start right now". As if on cue, the entire area fell silent and almost as a one, everyone dropped to their knees. For high above, in the middle of the central stand, stood the Almighty. Beside him stood Lady Anzus and Hild, both shining with regal splendour. Behind them stood the leaders of the other races, come to see their people at their best. And then The Almighty One spoke.

"Welcome all, to the Deity Games!" he boomed and there was a great cheer from all around. He smiled and raised his hands for silence. "Thank you" he said. "As you all know, the Deity Games are a coming together of all the worlds and all the races who have an influence on Earth, to demonstrate their powers and as a test of skill for each. For the first time however, I am pleased to announce that we are actually fielding a team FROM the Earth". There was suddenly a great deal of muttering and whispering from the crowd as they began to discuss this unusual news. "I must therefore remind you that you are to take care and that as always, you are to avoid permanent injury as much as possible. Now to all competitors, you will precede to your designated stands until you are called for. After completing an event, you will be asked to wait at the stand until after the judging is complete at which point the two winners will be called forward to receive their laurels of victory. With that, good luck and let the Games begin!" There was an almighty cheer from the crowd and slowly, the teams began to break up as individuals began to make their way to their event stands. Jago grinned to himself as he headed away from the others, as his metal working event was to be one of the first events to start.

"_Good luck"_ he sent to Lind

_"You too"_ she sent back. "_I'll see you later, at the one-on-one duels"_. Jago grinned and then turned his attention to Lamb and Damascus.

"_You girls ready?" _he asked.

"_Ready Master!"_ they both replied with excitement.

_"Good"_ said Jago. _"Let's show them what we're made of!"_

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"Welcome to the metal working event!" said the announcer as the competitors took their places at their individual forges. "The rules for this event are simple; we want you to create a weapon. You may create any kind you wish but points will be awarded for more complex techniques. You may use any techniques or materials you wish and you have been provided with a full set of tools. If there is anything specific that you require then simply ask one of the marshals. Now, points will be awarded for skill, technique and the quality of the end product, with points deducted for waste or for shoddy workmanship. We are also asked to remind you that while the use of angels, devils or any other spiritual support being is permitted, the use of magic during this event is strictly prohibited, with any violators being instantly disqualified. You have until dawn tomorrow to complete your task. With that, good luck and may the best smith win!" With that, Jago turned away and began to inspect his tools. There were a selection of hammers of different sizes, a massive set of hydraulic shears, an anvil and a furnace. Beside the tools lay several iron bars that had been set aside for the actual base materials. It was all he had. It was all he needed. Without a word, he summoned Lamb and Damascus.

"Alright" Jago said to Damascus. "What would you recommend?" Damascus lifted the limps of metal one at a time, testing each with her long fingers.

"A sword" she said. "Use these three" indicating three blocks of iron. "These meteoric iron" she said, "but with the right contaminants to make Damascus steel". Jago grinned.

"A sword?" he asked. Damascus nodded and Lamb grinned. "Let's do this then".

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Jago and his angels worked throughout the day to shape the iron into a blade of the highest quality steel, repeatedly folding the metal to bring out the water like ripples that made the blade look like it was trying to flow like water. Lamb and Jago worked together on the blade, taking it in turns to hammer out the steel while Damascus worked on a hilt. She carefully sanded down a piece of fire hardened _Lignum vitae_ and used her claws to gently carve the wood into its desired shape. The sun had set when by the time they were ready to combine the two and with a final flourish, they had finished the base of the sword.

"There" said Jago. "We're done. All we have to do is sharpen it".

"I'm glad this is almost over" said Lamb. "If we had to keep that up for much longer, I don't think I could have coped".

"I think we have a problem though" said Damascus. "We were too simple". She pointed towards some of the other smiths who were continuing to work. Some were carefully crafting tiny bits of fragile gold filigree into their weapons while others were using exotic materials that made their blades sparkle or in some cases actually glow. While a sword of Damascus steel is beautiful in its design and simplicity, it was drab in comparison to what the others were making.

"Bugger" said Jago. "And I'm guessing that we don't have time to remake the bloody thing". Damascus shook her head.

"I don't think so Master" she said.

"Well maybe there is something we can do" said Lamb. "It's risky because it's VERY difficult but if we get it right, then we should at least be in with a chance".

"What are you talking about Lamb?" Jago asked but she ignored him.

"Damascus" she asked, "do you know how to induce ever-sharpness without using magic?" Damascus nodded.

"It's difficult but I know how. Do you think we have time?" Lamb nodded.

"If we start now, we should have just long enough".

"Excuse me but what the Hell are you two talking about?" Jago asked, looking frustrated. The two Archs turned to Jago with a guilty look.

"Sorry Master" Lamb said. "It's just that we may have a found a way to fix our situation". Jago cocked his head.

"A solution? How?"

"We create a blade of ever-sharpness" said Damascus. "Basically, we sharpen it so finely that it will never lose its edge. As a side effect, it will also be able to cut through just about anything but that's an aside". Jago nodded and chewed his lip.

"I'm guessing though that it's going to take a while and it's bloody tricky to do". Lamb nodded.

"Yes. During the sharpening process, we would have to use materials that would normally be considered too fine to sharpen a blade. AND while we're sharpening, we can't let the blade touch anything other than the sharpening tools or else the process will be ruined and can never be started again. Plus, we must time the final stage precisely as we complete it no more than thirty seconds before the run rises in order to complete the very final stage".

"Do you think we can do it?" Jago asked. Lamb and Damascus both looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes". Jago grinned.

"We'd better get cracking then!"

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They worked through the night, even as the other smiths finished their work. They had started with a usual grind stone and had then moved onto a course and then a fine whetstone, followed by course and fine sand-paper. After this came an emery cloth, a jade cloth and a silk sash. But it wasn't enough. They started to move on to even finer items; spider's silk, very fine sand, dust, pollen. The last four steps were the most difficult though. Lamb winced a little as she pulled a feather free from her wing and handed it to Jago.

"An angel's feather. I wonder if my being an Archangel will have any effect on it?"

"Who knows" said Damascus as she flicked the blade of Jago's folding knife back and forth. "Still, I suppose we will find out soon". As soon as Jago had finished with Lamb's feather, it was Damascus's turn. She pressed the blade against her finger and gritted her teeth as she rapidly drew the knife across it. A thin trickle of blood seeped from the thin cut as a single tear ran down her cheek. She caught a little of each and held out her hand to Jago. "The tear and blood of a devil" she said. "Be careful". Jago nodded and rubbed the two together between his thumb and forefinger, mixing them. He then gently placed his fingers on either side of the blade edge and ran them down the surface, continuing until they were both used up.

"Right what's next?" he asked.

"This is the critical stage" said Lamb. "You must sharpen the blade with fire. But if you do it too soon, the blade will blunt itself on the air before we can complete the very last stage. Too late and we'll miss the dawn". Jago nodded.

"When should I start?" he said, turning to face the horizon. Light was just beginning to peek over the edge of the world and that mean that the sun wouldn't be far behind. Damascus turned and faced the horizon, shielding her eyes.

"Five… four… three… two… one… go!" she said Jago snapped around. He reached into the furnace and using his affinity for flame, he gently picked up a spark, pouring energy into it until it was a small flame. He grasped the blade in his hand and he ran the flame across the edge, sharpening it with pure heat. Finally, he was finished and he turned towards the dawn.

"What's next?" he asked, looking worried.

"Daylight Master" Lamb said. Jago was petrified.

"Wah- DAYLIGHT!" he shouted. "How do I sharpen something on day light?"

"It can only be done at dawn" said Lamb. "You must hold the blade in such a way that it will catch the first rays of light as they come over the horizon. If you do it right, you we will see the blade cut through the light".

"And if I get it wrong?"

"Then we will have failed". Jago gulped and turned towards the sun. Three seconds. Two. He could almost feel the light coming. One. With a jerk, he shifted the blade of the sword and realigned it so that it would hopefully catch the coming light. Then the light was there. With a sound like the faintest breeze, the edge of the blade glowed blue and just for a second, he could have sworn he saw a piece of daylight that cut itself free of the main beam of the sun. It was gone as soon as it came but the faint blue light remained around the edge of the sword and as Jago reached out towards it, he could have sworn that he felt the beginnings of sharpness almost an inch from the true blade edge. And he stopped himself just before he touched the blade as he realised what the blue light was; it was a series of tiny, continuous nuclear reactions as the infinite sharpness of the blade actually _cut through the molecules of the air_. Lamb and Damascus came over to examine the weapon and took it reverently from him.

"You did it Master" Lamb whispered. "You created a blade of ever-sharpness".

"I think we had better present it to the judges and then grab some sleep for now" said Damascus. "Our next event won't be for a while yet". She waited for Jago to respond. He didn't so sighed and snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Quit zoning out Master" she said. "We've finished now. We've done it". Jago was still for a second but then he shook himself.

"Sorry? Oh, yes , right, of course!" he said. "Lamb, would you mind presenting our blade to the judges while Damascus and I try and track down some breakfast?" Lamb nodded.

"Yes Master" she said and slowly glided away, carrying the blade with her. Jago sighed.

"Well that was fairly intense" he said. "I think I'm gonna need at least fifteen hours of sleep" he said. Damascus snorted.

"Don't worry about it. We'll know the results before the next event so don't fret yourself. Now come on Master" she said, grasping him gently but firmly by the arm, "I need breakfast".

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Jago didn't find out the results of his first event until much later. He had dropped off and was only just in time for his second event. Normally, this would have been the one-on-one duels but due to unusually high number of competitors this time around, it had been delayed and rescheduled as the final event. This meant that Jago now had to face the one that he was dreading the most; the test of courage. Unlike many other events, this was held in a separate room that was isolated from the rest of the arena, so that none of the watchers could actually see what occurred. It was just as well. Whilst waiting outside, Jago spotted a Valkyrie who he recognised from the barracks and they had exchanged waves before she was admitted into the room. Less than five minutes later, there was a scream and two marshals entered the room carrying a stretcher. Seconds later, they exited, carrying the babbling Valkyrie between them. Jago gulped and looked away, his eyes meeting those of a dwarf sat opposite him. He nodded and they exchanged nervous smiles.

"Cyfarchion ffrind" the dwarf said. Jago paused, cocked his head and thought for a second, trying to translate what had just been said.

"Cymraeg?" he asked and the dwarf nodded.

"Ein hiaith frodorol" said the dwarf. "I'm surprised to meet a human who is still fluent in the old tongues" he said in English.

"You'd be surprised" said Jago. "What do they call you then?"

"Grimnore" said the dwarf, proudly patting his beard. "And what may I call you?" he asked.

"They call me Jago" Jago replied. The dwarf scratched his head.

"You're not by any chance the same Jago who somehow managed to acquire a pair of Archs are you?" Jago nodded.

"That I am" he said. Grimnore smiled.

"I like that" he said. "You were in the metal working competition too, weren't you? I was there too".

"Aye" said Jago, "I was there. Never did find out who won" he said. Grimnore raised his eyebrows.

"You don't know the winner?" he asked. However before he could say any more, one of the Marshalls approached.

"Jago Finch, are you ready?" Jago nodded and stood to follow her.

"Nice talking to you" he said to Grimnore.

"Pob lwc!" said Grimnore.

"Chi hefyd" Jago replied and he followed the Marshall inside. The room was dimly lit, with only a candle to provide any light. The candle was set on a low table and there was a chair beside it. Directly in front of the chair was a large object that was covered in a cloth, with a Marshall stood beside it.

"Please take a seat" said the first Marshall. Jago nodded and took the chair. "Nervous?" the Marshall asked with a smile. Jago wiggled one hand from side-to-side.

"Little bit" he said, crossing his arms and boots. "I did just see a Valkyrie reduced to a jabbering wreck". He gestured towards the covered object. "So how does this work?" he asked. The first Marshall turned to the second who nodded and preceded to explain.

"Behind this cloth is a soul-mirror. Basically, once the cloth is removed, you look into it and you will begin to see your greatest fears. We will be waiting and watching you to gage your reaction, with points being awarded for the length of time you can spend without reacting, compared with the severity of the fear that is shown. But don't worry; we won't be able to see what is going on in the mirror. Any questions?" Jago raised a hand.

"How will you be able to judge the severity of my fears if you can't see what is being shown?"

"The frame of the mirror changes colour depending on how severe the fear is. Bronze means a low level fear, gold means something creepy and red means just about the worst thing that you can imagine. In theory, it can go all the way to black but at that level, most people will have their sanity stripped away so we generally try to stop it by then. So, are you ready?" Jago nodded.

"Bring it on" he said. The Marshalls nodded and they removed the cloth cover with a flourish, stepping back behind the mirror. Instantly, Jago was assaulted by a series of images as the mirror glowed copper and then gold. He sat, unaffected as spiders and snakes rolled past. Sharks were fine. Wolves didn't faze him. Needles made him blink but little else. However, it was when the frame went red that he saw true horror. What he saw was himself. What he saw was Jupiter…

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_Jupiter stood alone in a blasted wilderness, his eyes glowing red as he scanned his surroundings. The ruins of a once mighty city surrounded him. Utter devastation. His devastation. This is Jago's fear; that Jupiter would win and with his power, he would destroy everything. The Jupiter avatar turned slowly and started to make its way across the wilderness towards a low hill._

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"I'm impressed" whispered one of the Marshall's to her companion. "The mirror is showing a red-level fear and all I can see from this human is a slight sweat. That Valkyrie was already crying by this point so how he is managing to hold on is beyond me".

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_Atop the hill stood two crosses. And from each hung a person. A living person. The Jupiter avatar stepped up to them and leered up at them. It knew these two who were hanging from the crosses, their wrists bound by barbed wire and nails through their hands and feet. He had put them there. He had gouged out their eyes and cut out their tongues. And he had torn off their wings. _

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Jago gave an involuntary shudder and he whispered to himself.

"Not Lamb. Not Damascus. Jupiter, no".

"I think he's cracking" one of the Marshalls whispered.

"Shh!" said the other. "He still seems capable of doing more.

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_Jupiter turned from the tortured forms of his two Archs, his attention captured by something else. It was a movement. And a flash of powder blue hair. Jupiter grinned and stepped away from the crucified Archs and made his way down the hill. And there she was. Lind. _

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"No. Not her. Please no. Not my Lind!" Jago said, leaning forward in his chair.

"I think we should stop it" said one of the Marshalls. "He's already done better than any other participant has ever done". The other Marshall stared at Jago and shook her head.

"Just a little longer" she said. "So long as the frame isn't black, he can still handle this. Besides, aren't you curious just how strong this human really is?"

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_Jupiter grinned, stooped and picked up a rock as he advanced on Lind. She was hurt, the side of her face crusted in dried blood and those parts of her body that weren't obscured by filthy rags were either stained with more blood or else covered in more bruises. She clutched a bundle of rags to her chest and stared up at Jupiter as he came closer, tears coursing down her face._

_"Jupiter, please" she whispered. "Don't do it". Jupiter simply grinned and raised the rock on high. "Please" Lind said, her eyes imploring. But what they looked up into were two red holes that came straight from Hell. No pity, no love, no remorse. Just hatred. And an unbridled will to kill. He brought the rock down._

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"No!" shouted Jago as a tear rolled down his face.

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_The rock struck Lind hard on the temple, cracking her skull and killing her instantly. Her body fell sideways and lay still as Jupiter turned away. However, a sound caught his attention. A cry. The bundle that Lind been holding as he had killed her moved a little and Jupiter was a hand rise from between the filthy rags. He stooped and picked up the bundle, revealing its contents. A tiny figure, just a few days old. His son. Jupiter grinned. And he reached into his pocket. And he pulled out a knife…_

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The mirror exploded under the strain of Jago's mental anguish, shattering the enchanted glass into a thousand fragments. Jago sat gasping for a second and wiped the tears from his face. He stood. He nodded to the Marshalls.

"I'm done" he said and he turned to leave the room. As he disappeared though the door, he heard the Marshall speak to each other.

"Well, he's definitely won" one said. "It's just a case now of finding a second place".

"True" said the other Marshall. "But I think we went too far".

"How so?"

"Didn't you see the frame before it shattered? It was black".

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Jago sat down shakily under the rest pavilion and took a deep drink from a bottle of Suicider. Without a sound, Lamb and Damascus appeared beside him.

"That was pretty scary Master" Lamb said. "Is that what you really fear the most?" she asked. Jago didn't answer, just pulled his girls into a crushing hug.

"Now you see why I must either limit or balance the power of Jupiter. If he were allowed to use his full power with no restraint then I wouldn't be able stop him. And I don't want to-"

"Jago" Lamb said softly but firmly. "Jupiter may be a strong part of you but as a whole, you are stronger than any part of yourself. You will always be able to stop Jupiter". She leaned forward and gently kissed her Master. "And don't forget, Damascus and I are just as much a part of you as Jupiter is. If you ever feel that he is growing too powerful, ask us and we will help you stop him. We love Lind as much as you do and we will not let him hurt her". Jago looked both of his Archs firmly in the face and he smiled.

"Oh, my Astrakhan Lamb. Oh, my Damascus. I'm sorry. Thank you!" He realised them and shook his head. "Right" he said. "Now who wants to see me crack a coconut with my head?" Lamb and Damascus both laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion, happy that their Master had returned to his normal self. So long as he was happy, then so were they.

"Oh! Mister Jago! Lamb! Damascus!" They turned to see Belldandy making her way across the field to them, waving as she came. Jago waved her over and she arrived, breathless but smiling. Her official robes had been replaced with a set of racing leathers and she had a helmet tucked under her arm. Jago grinned at her.

"Hi Bell, how goes it?" Belldandy smiled.

"Keiichi and I just came first in the two person machine race and I still have golds for both the singing and the broom race. I still have one more event but I think I'll do well. What about you? Have you won anything?" Jago scratched his head.

"I'm not sure" he said. "I still haven't had chance to find out how I did for the metal working. Been kind of busy you see". Belldandy nodded sympathetically.

"That's alright" she said. "But what about your other events? I heard that the one-on-one duels were moved to later on". Jago nodded.

"That's right. We just finished the test of courage but we haven't managed to find out how we did there either".

"There he is!" a voice boomed from across the field and they turned to see Grimnore, the dwarf crossing over to them, surrounded by a gaggle of other dwarfs.

"Grimnore!" Jago said with a smile. "Helo brawd!" he said but the dwarf failed to return the greeting. In fact he looked down right furious.

"Don't you "helo brawd" me human!" the dwarf shouted. "You've beaten me not once but twice now!" Jago looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You shattered the mirror of fears, preventing from taking my own test of courage and not only that but you beat me at the metal working contest!" Jago's face went from confused to stunned.

"I won?" he asked the dwarf nodded and spat.

"Of course you bloody won! Not only did you manage to break the mirror but you were somehow able to create a blade of ever-sharpness! How is a dwarf supposed to compete with that?" Then he grinned. "At least now though, I can expect a challenge during our final event. It has been too long since I have met a worthy opponent". He stepped forward and held out his hand. "I look forward to duelling with you" he said and Jago took his hand.

"You too" he said. With that the dwarfs turned and left, leaving Jago confused and Belldandy amused.

"He likes you" said Belldandy. "For you to be able to impress High Lord Grimnore is quite rare".

"High Lord?" Jago asked and Belldandy nodded.

"Yes, Lord Grimnore is a master smith and a member of what the dwarfs call the Longbeards, their most skilled fighters. They aren't easy to impress but you appear to achieved it. I should warn you though, he won't be easy to beat in a duel". Jago nodded and Belldandy paused, considering something. "Did you really break the mirror?" she asked and Jago nodded again. "What did you see?" Jago shrugged.

"You don't want to know" he said. He stood, recalled Lamb and Damascus and rolled his shoulders. "Anyway, I need to collect my weapons. I think it's time for a showdown. Take care of yourself now Bell" he said and the he turned away, heading towards his final event.

_"Mistress?"_ Holybell said from inside Belldandy, "_What could have scared Jago so much that he managed to shatter that mirror? Is there really that much inside that he fears?"_

_"I don't know"_ Belldandy confessed. _"But whatever it was, I'm sure that Jupiter was involved"._

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"Welcome to the final event" said the announcer to the assembled crowd. "We're sorry for the delay but due to the number of participants, we were forced to move the event until the very end of the competitions. However, we are now ready to precede as planned".

"You see Lind anywhere?" Jago asked. Lamb shook her head.

"I can feel her aura but I can't see her". Jago shrugged as the announcer kept speaking.

"-it is permissible for fighters to use any means to defeat their opponents, although killing them is strictly prohibited. As such, you may user any weapons, natural talents or magic that you wish, provided that no permanent injury is caused. In terms of judging the fight, the rules a simple; two fighters will each enter each arena and you will fight until one is unable to continue or until one surrenders. Whoever wins will be admitted into the next arena, at which point, you are to wait until your next opponent arrives. After you have completed all of your set matches, the winner will be admitted into the final arena, at which point you will duel with the current champion. Now, are there any question? No? Good, then the best of luck to you!"

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Deaderuss and Angrboða watched quietly from their shared box high up in the crowds as fighters began making their way to the duelling arenas.

"Is your apprentice ready?" Angrboða asked as she sipped from her glass. Deaderuss nodded.

"I have told her that if she fails then once the Games are over, I will personally ensure that she is banished. And then she will be killed". Angrboða smiled.

"I like the sound of that my Lord. But what when she does kill him? What happens when she has to fight Lind?" Deaderuss shrugged.

"Then we kill her too. By then, they will know that she is a traitor and they will send the Valkyries to stop her. Oh, she will defeat a fair number of them but they will beat her eventually. But that doesn't matter; she will be a necessary sacrifice if we are to bring Kronos to power". He grinned and Angrboða shared his grin. "For now though, let us watch and see what happens. Even if she fails, this should at least be a fair test of Twoarchs power".

**Authors Note: I suggest Google translate to find out what the exchange between Jago and Grimnore was. If you can figure it out without using Google translate AND can tell me what language it's in, let me know. It would be cool to find out what other people think it means.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Jago VS Lind**

Jago rolled nimbly aside as the Earth sprit's powerful morning-star crashed down, embedding itself in the ground. He jumped up, swinging one of his mauls overhand while using the other to defend himself. Just before the hammer struck Lord Sukaru morphed his right arm, changing it instantly from a morning-star into an energy shield that blocked the descending hammer. This time however, Jago was ready and he hooked the axe blade of the second maul under his shield and yanked hard back, pulling the Earth spirit forward. In a single rapid movement, he realised his grip on his first maul, shot one hand forward and thumped his opponent hard in the stomach and then grabbed his maul again before it hit the ground. Lord Sukaru gasped from the force of the surprise attack and staggered back, trying to put some distance between him and Jago. He rapidly morphed his arm again, this time changing it into an energy cannon, similar to Juggernaut's Nemea gun. Jago charged forward swinging his weapons as the cannon fired off a shot. Seeing the shot, Jago spun until his back was facing Lord Sukaru and ducked his head behind the rim of his tower shield which he had strapped across his back. The blast struck the shield dead-centre and ricocheted off, impacting with the powerful Aegis shield that surrounded the arena, to protect those outside from any collateral damage. Jago used the momentum from the shot to pivot rapidly and close the distance, knowing that the cannon would be unusable until it had cooled down. Just before his blow struck, Lord Sukaru morphed his arm once more, this time into a long blade and he used it to slice at Jago. Jago countered by crossing both mauls and trapping the blade between the two hammers. Lord Sukaru grunted as he tried to pull himself free and nodded at Jago.

"Touché Twoarchs" he said. Jago grinned.

"Not so bad yourself" he said and he heaved the Earth spirit back and spun himself so that he could create a constant battery of blows from his weapons. Lord Sukaru quickly reformed his shield and tried to block the blows but Jago had now built up enough momentum so that he could actually feel the shield cracking. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it up; he was getting dizzy. He stumbled and lost his balance, the momentum of his hammers dragging him down with them. The Earth spirit saw his chance and formed his arm into its most powerful weapon; a gravity hammer. He swung overarm, preparing to strike Jago before he could regain his footing. But before the blow could strike, it was intercepted. Lord Sukaru stared in horror as Damascus appeared between them and through up an Aegis shield to stop his blow. The hammer struck her Aegis and it shattered, sending him flying backward. He landed on his feet and quickly reformed his arm into a blade but then Jago was there, having regained his balance and he brought his mauls down hard, hammering the Earth spirit to his knees. His arm reformed into an actual arm and he gasped for breath as he felt a blade against his neck. He looked up to see Jago leaning over him, his pocket knife in hand and flanked by Lamb and Damascus. He grinned.

"Alright" he said between gasps. "You win". Jago grinned, flicked his knife closed and held out his hand to the Earth spirit.

"You… are… very good" Jago said, gasping himself as Lord Sukaru used his hand to pull himself to his feet. "I have to admit, you almost had me there. If I hadn't had Damascus then that last attack would have got me for sure". He felt a gentle nudge and looked up at Lamb's pouring face. "Oh and Lamb of course" he said. The Earth spirit grinned and he bowed his head.

"You are gracious in victory Lord Twoarchs but in truth, you outclassed me from the start. I look forward to our next meeting so that I may have another attempt at defeating you". Jago nodded and smiled.

"Me too mate. But don't call me "Lord". Jago will do". The Earth spirit bowed his head again and smiled.

"Very well. In that case, you may call me Jeiko". Jago grinned and nodded at Jeiko.

"Jago and Jeiko" he said. "Now that's a mouthful". They both chuckled as the doors leading to the next arena opened to admit Jago through.

"You had better hurry Lord Jago" said Lord Sukaru. "You don't want to keep your next opponent waiting". Jago nodded.

"Until we meet again" he said and he turned away and recalled his angels. "Lord Jago" he muttered to himself. "I like the sound of that".

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Jago stepped through the double doors, into the next arena and found his next opponent waiting for him. She was a tall Praetorian from Heaven's first cohort with flowing black hair, deep, brown eyes and long spear clutched in her left hand. She was young though; looking only about sixteen. Jago grinned at his her and made his way over.

"Hello there" he said. "I'm-"

"I know who you are" she said testily. "Jago Finch, Arch-thief and Paladin-pretender". Jago snorted.

"You forgot one" he said. "I'm also a bloody nuisance. So, what do I call you?" The Praetorian just stared at him.

"You may not call anything, human" she said. "By all rights, we shouldn't be having this conversation; it is a sad state of affairs when a human may address a Praetorian so brazenly". Jago sighed.

"Why is it that all the Praetorians I've met are so bitchy and arrogant?" he asked. "Is it just bad luck or are you all like this?" The Praetorian stiffened.

"How dare you!" she said. "I am the personal apprentice to Lord Deaderuss so what makes you think that a worm like-"

"So that explains it" Jago said. "I thought you looked young". The Praetorian looked confused.

"Young?"

"Yes" said Jago. "You look about sixteen but you're a Praetorian, albeit a low ranking one. So either your uncommonly strong, which you may be but I doubt or you have received special privileges for being Deaderuss's apprentice". The young Praetorian gritted her teeth.

"Shut up human!" she snapped and she levelled her spear at him. "Now are you going to stand there all day or are we going to fight. Jago grinned and he pulled the mauls free from his shoulders.

"I thought that you would never ask!" he said.

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The Praetorian charged forward, her spear held out in front of her. Jago stepped to one side and caught the weapon under his left arm, bringing the axe blade of his right-hand maul down on the haft of her spear. The spear shattered and the Praetorian stumbled forward at the sudden loss of resistance. As she fell, Jago dropped the remains of the spear and swung the hammer-head of his left-hand maul down towards her. However she rolled as she fell, slipping out from under Jago's blow with struck the ground with a crack. He spun rapidly, raising one maul to protect himself while bringing the other around in a wide, sweeping arc. The Praetorian by this point had discarded her broken spear, ducked under his maul and now swung again for Jago, a long knife in her left hand. Jago took a step backwards, dodging the knife but he wasn't in time to avoid her incoming right fist. It crack hard into the left side of his jaw and he stumbled back, trying to raise his mauls to defend himself. She kicked up and he managed to catch the blow on haft of his left-hand weapon. However, the blow was sufficient to shatter the weapon and he gasped as he took another step back.

"Now we're even!" she said, pausing in her attack to catch her breath. Jago meanwhile was stunned.

"You broke Lefty" he said and then he frowned. "Now it's personal". Then he roared; a terrifying bellow that caught the young Praetorian off guard as he charged forward, swinging his remaining maul. As he charged, he unslung his tower-shield and as she dodged his attack as he expected her to, he rammed her with it, using his size and the shield's mass as a battering-ram. He continued to roar as she fell to one knee and desperately thrust upwards, aiming for his stomach. However, Jago saw the move coming and kicked her hard in the face and then used the edge of his shield to pin her knife-hand. She desperately heaved upwards; trying to free herself but Jago just pushed downwards and then swung the maul down towards her. She rolled as far as she could to dodge the attack and then rolled back to dodge the following blow. She grabbed a handful of sand and hurled it at Jago's eyes, causing him to stumble backward and she grasped her knife, aiming for his stomach. As she attacked, she felt her Lord contact her;

"_Well done" _was all he said as the blade shot forward, too close to be stopped or avoided. Jago was as a good as dead. Except for one thing. Or rather, two things.

"ANGELIC SOUL BOMB!"

"DEMON SOUL BOMB!" The twin blasts of energy stuck the Praetorian full in the chest, lifting her off her feet and slamming her against the Aegis shield that encircled the arena. She slumped to the ground and fell into unconsciousness.

"Nice timing" said Jago to Lamb and Damascus. "But… I think that may have been what we call overkill".

"Sorry Master" the two angels said and shook their wings a little in embarrassment. Jago tutted at the sight of his broken maul and then slung his remaining hammer and his shield back across his shoulders.

"I liked that maul" he said. "Shame. And I just realised something; this is getting to be a repetitive theme. I own arse, fuck up and then you girls save me. I think I need some new tactics". All three of them grinned at this as he stooped over the fallen Praetorian and removed her helmet so that he could check her pulse. It was fine. Overall, she was battered, unconscious and a little crispy but fine. Jago stood and recalled his angels, turning as the final doors opened. Time to face the champion. This was his final test; if he could defeat the champion, then he was almost certain to be made Paladin. And with that power, he would be able to protect Lind. Protect her from himself.

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Deaderuss stared down angrily from the stands, enraged at the failure of his apprentice.

"It seems that Weth has failed you my Lord" Angrboða said with a touch of amusement. Deaderuss snarled.

"She will suffer for failing in her duties! Not only did she fail to kill Jago but to have been defeated so easily!" Angrboða laid a hand on his arm and he turned to her.

"Peace my Lord. We still have Gandamak at our disposal. Kronos WILL rise, even if he defeats the champion". She leaned back in her chair and made herself comfortable. "I suggest that that you try and enjoy the final duel; I have a feeling that it will be most… entertaining".

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The final area was different to the others. For one thing, the ground was composed of rough, jagged rocks rather than grass and the ring itself was nearly three times the size of the others, stretching to nearly thirty miles across and three miles straight up. And in the centre stood the champion. And when Jago saw her, his blood ran cold. He knew her. He knew her intimately. White and blue uniform of a Captain of the Valkyrie first cohort, the halberd that he himself had made, the powder blue hair and the piercing blue eyes. She smiled when she saw him. And then she spoke;

"Hello Jago" Lind said. "I was hoping that it would be you". Jago was dumbfounded.

"Lind? What are you doing here?" Lind ginned.

"Well isn't it obvious Jago? I'm the champion. And this means… that you and I… are going… to have to fight".

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Lind settled herself into a fighter stance, her halberd raised.

"Now Lord Paladin, you and I will duel. And don't think that just because we're lovers that I will hold back on you; I am treating you like I would any other opponent. And I want you to do the same with me. Don't hold back; use Jupiter if you must, just beat me!"

"But Lind! What if-"Jago started to say but she didn't give him chance to finish. With a bellow, she charged leapt ten foot into the air and swung her halberd over her head so that it would come down squarely on Jago's head. Just in the nick of time, he unsheathed his claymore and used the blade to block the incoming blow. He grunted as her blade struck had against his and he dropped to one knee to absorb the blow. Her strength was phenomenal! That single blow had contained more force than all of those that the Praetorian had used, all at once! He gritted his teeth and looked up into Lind's face. "WHAT THE HELL LIND? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

"YES!" she said and she kicked out with her right foot. Jago dodged and stepped back. She came at him again, back slashing with her halberd and then jabbing it forward. Jago blocked clumsily and fought to stop her driving him back forward.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR TRYING TO KILL ME!" he said as she swung again, forcing him back another step.

"Don't you get it Jago; if you don't prove that you can beat the most powerful fight in this world then how do you expect to be made Paladin? Now attack me!" She snarled and swung her halberd one-handed at him, then brought her free hand around and struck Jago hard in the face. He gasped and stepped back again. "JAGO! THIS IS FOR OUR SON! IF YOU DON'T FIGHT ME THEN WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIM? HE WILL BE AN OUTCAST NOBODY!" She paused in her attack and glared at him as he attempted to regain his balance. "I won't let that happen!" she hissed to him. "I will not let our son grow up in the same way I did! And if it means that I have to become the Paladin instead of you then so be it! But just so you know, if I must do that then you can consider our relationship over! You will never know your son and I-". The sound of a gunshot stopped her and she felt a sudden sting on the tip of one of her ears. She raised her hand to her ear, feeling a speck of blood from the tiny nick in her skin where the bullet had skimmed across her ear. She grinned and turned to Jago who had stopped retreating and now stood stock-still, his claymore held loosely in his right hand and his still smoking revolver in his left. His face was grim but determined as he clicked the hammer on the back of his gun to chamber the next round.

"You want me to fight you Lind? Very well, I WILL fight you! And when I beat you, you will swear that you will never threaten to keep me from my son!" Lind grinned and nodded, readying her halberd.

"That's what I wanted to hear Jago!" she said. "Now let's do this!"

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Jago swung his claymore in great arc, scything through the air where Lind had been standing and then turned, bringing his revolver to bear on her. He squeezed the trigger again and she ducked, slicing at his abdomen with her halberd. He blocked with the guard on his sword and then used it to toss her backwards. She landed nimbly on her feet and then raised her weapon again just as Jago raised his revolver again and this time, he fired off three shots in rapid succession. Lind spun her halberd and used the haft to deflect the rounds as Jago charged forward, slicing with his sword. She parried but wasn't ready for his next attack; using the butt of his gun as a weapon, he punched forward and struck her hard in the face. She staggered back and was just in time to dodge his sixth bullet as it streaked past her. She grinned at Jago as he pocketed his gun.

"Out of bullets?" she asked but he shook his head.

"No, just take too long to reload". He unslung his shield and then lowered himself so that it covered his entire front. "Besides, there's no real skill in having to "shoot" my way to victory". Lind nodded and then she leapt forward, sailing high over Jago and back swinging her blade so that it would catch him in his vulnerable back. However, Jago had been ready for this and he back swung his sword, catching Lind's halberd on his blade. They both grunted and turned to face each other. Jago attacked next, attempting to ram Lind with his shield but she jammed the butt of her halberd deep into the ground and the kicked off, slamming both feet into Jago's shield. He staggered backwards and was just in time to block Lind's next attack as her halberd bit into the upper edge of his shield. However, she realised that she had made a blunder as she discovered that her weapon was now stuck in Jago's shield. Jago grinned at her predicament and then rammed her with the shield, sending her sprawling. He brought his sword down, trying to chop her but she rolled and rolled again, repeatedly dodging the descending blows. On the third attempt however, he realised he was getting nowhere; Lind was too fast and encumbered by his heavy shield, he was unable to keep up with her. He stopped in his attacks and jammed his sword into the ground. Lind pulled her feet underneath herself and stood, rising into a fighter's crouch.

"How about we take it up a notch?" Jago asked, hanging his shield from the sword. "Let's try fists for a while". Lind nodded and grinned.

"I thought you would never ask!" she said and she launched herself at him.

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High in the boxes, Tam sat watching the fight between Lind and Jago. So far, they had seemed evenly matched but now they had moved onto unarmed combat so who was likely to win was anyone's guess.

"May I join you?" a voice inquired and she turned to see Valmeyar descending the stairs towards her. Tam nodded and turned back to the fighting. Valmeyar took a seat next to her and looked down at the on-going fight. "How goes it?" she asked and Tam shrugged.

"Hard to say really. My son and your daughter appear to be trying to kill each other, although now they've moved on from weapons and are now simply trying to beat each other to death with hands and feet". Valmeyar nodded.

"I hope you realise that this means that my daughter is now at her most powerful".

"How so?" asked Tam. Valmeyar turned to her and paused.

"You've seen how many goddesses have odd pieces of jewellery, usually earrings? Well those are power limiters that prevent us from using our full strength, mostly because even a mid-strength goddess could easily shatter the Earth without them. And the bigger the limiter, the more tightly controlled her powers are. The difference for Valkyries is that their weapons are their limiters as they tend to be more powerful than your average goddess".

"So without her halberd, your daughter is actually more powerful?" Valmeyar nodded.

"That's right. However from the looks of things, your son is proving to be quite the challenge". She paused and glanced down at the arena. "By the looks of things though, the match has just hotted up another notch".

"In what way?"

"Well they've started using magic".

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Lind roared as she launched herself at Jago, her right first burning as she charged. Jago ducked behind a rock, snapped his fingers to summon a basic fire spell and then stood, slapping his hands together. The tiny thumb-flame instantly super-heated and shot towards Lind as a jet of molten plasma. Lind was forced to duck as the bolt shot towards her and she dived behind another rock. However, she now realised her problem; she was pinned. Jago let fly with an increasingly rapid ret of bolts, chipping away at Lind's rock as he went. Lind needed a plan and fast, or else her hiding place would soon be reduced to molten slag. Then she realised it: her hiding place was a weapon. With a grunt, she kicked the rock free of the ground and then spun and kicked the rock towards Jago.

"AEGIS SHIELD!" he shouted and the rock shattered against the powerful defence spell. He lowered his shield and prepared to start his plasma bombardment again but Lind beat him to it.

"COOL AND ICE BLADE!" she shouted and the thin ribbon of pure cold shot from her hand sliced down and struck Jago in the chest. He gasped for breath as the blade cut through his shirt and caused instant frostbite to the exposed flesh bellow. The force of the blade then lifted him off of his feet and slammed him hard against the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Lind ducked back behind cover as Jago pulled himself to his knees and crawled behind a boulder.

"Got me good there!" he shouted over to her and then started to mutter a healing spell to reverse the damage caused by the frostbite.

"Hurt bad?" Lind shouted back.

"Nothing permanent" Jago said as healing spell took effect, replacing the dead tissue with new flesh.

"Good, then I'll use it again! ICE NEEDLE BOMB!" Jago poked his head out from behind the boulder and was just in time to duck back down before a ball of razor pointed ice zoomed overhead. It exploded as it went past and showered Jago with needle like splinters. Luckily however, his thick leather jacket and his hat absorbed the punishment, although one slither did cut the back of his hand. Lind then hurled another one, trying to drive him out from behind the rock. So Jago just moved the rock. Copying Lind's earlier move, he broke the boulder free and hurled it towards her. It was substantially bigger than the one she had thrown at him but it didn't matter. "COOL AND ICE BLADE!" she shouted and the thin blade of supercool air split the boulder cleanly in half, the two halves landing on either side of her. However, what she hadn't expected was that Jago had jumped up and used the boulder for cover, flying in just behind it and relying on her to split it so that he could attack her.

"FISTS OF IRON!" he bellowed, his hands morphing into a pair of huge metal gauntlets. He struck Lind with a two-one combo; two to the stomach and one to the head and sent her stumbling back. She quickly recovered and summoned her own fighting hands.

"ICE AND FIRE FISTS!" she shouted, her left becoming an ice covered spiked fist and her right a blazing ball of fire. She swung hard and Jago countered with his own iron fists. Her left fist thumped into his shoulder but his thick jacket absorbed the impact as his own left fist crashed down on her right shoulder. She yelped in pain and struck him in the chin, making him back up. She grunted, dispelled her gauntlets and then shoved her arm back into its socket. "Right then" she said, "It's time to escalate things!" With that, she summoned up her wings and she rocketed skywards. "Now how will you fight me?" she called down as she summoned a series of ice bolts.

"Not cool!" Jago said and dived for cover as the bolts came raining down. "_Lamb? Damascus? How do I fight her?"_ he asked as he tried to return fire with a series of plasma bolts which Lind seamlessly dodged.

"_You could fly Master" _Damascus suggested.

"_Fly? But I'm human! How the Hell am I supposed to fly?"_

_"With our help Master"_ said Lamb. _"Just give me a second"_. Jago gasped with pain as something forced its way out of his back and he turned to see a single, snow white angel's wing sticking out of his right shoulder.

_"I had better help too"_ said Damascus and with another surge of pain and power, another wing appeared; this one was on the left, was deep purple and resembled a giant bat's wing.

"_All you have to do is imagine where you want to be and Damascus and I will get you there. Now beat Lind!"_ Jago grinned and he leapt into the air, following Lind who grinned at his arrival.

"Now that's a new trick" she said. "Now let's see how well you dogfight!"

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For the next few minutes, all that could be seen of Lind and Jago was pair of streaks, one blue and one gold as they streaked across the sky inside the arena, crossing and overlapping each other with hails of sparks. Inside though, it was a melee of chaos as the two fought for dominance; coming together, exchanging blows at a speed too fast to see and then breaking apart only to come together again seconds later. In the air though, Lind had the advantage, being faster and more experienced in a dogfight. And as such, she eventually landed a telling punch, sending Jago crashing into the deck. He groaned and rolled over as Lamb and Damascus emerged to help him up.

"You all right Master?" Lamb asked.

"Yeah… my pancreas… broke my fall" he said painfully. "But Lind is just too strong. We need some way to slow her down or drain her strength so that I can actually get to grips with her".

"Damascus, got any ideas?" Lamb asked.

"No" she said. "And I'm guessing you don't either". Lamb nodded sadly and then Jago looked up.

"MOVE!" he shouted as Lind came storming down. She was roaring as she came down, her foot superheated by her immense speed as she descended. Lamb shoved Jago and Damascus aside, waited until Lind was almost on top of her and then swatted her aside with a double fisted punch. She slammed into the ground with a groan as Lamb backed off. "Lamb, that just gave an idea" Jago said. "Damascus, if Lamb and I keep her occupied, how much dakka can you put together in a couple of minutes?" Damascus cocked her head.

"Dakka?" she asked in confusion. "But isn't that-". Then her eyes lit up. "Oh" she said. "We're talking serious ordnance here, aren't we?" Jago nodded.

"Think "Rods of God" he said. "For starters. Think you can manage that?" Damascus nodded.

"Five minutes" she said. "Can you two give me that long?" Lamb nodded.

"We're on it" she said as Lind pulled herself back up, her face enraged. "Just hurry".

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Lind stood carefully, feeling battered and bruised from Lamb's surprise attack. Well if that was how Jago wanted to play it, she would play too. She summoned Spear Mint and Cool Mint and as a three, they turned towards Jago.

"You're going to pay for that" she said to him as Lamb stepped out from behind him. "Now let's get this done". With that, Cool Mint went left, Spear Mint went right and Lind charged straight down the middle towards them. Jago roared and charged Cool Mint as Lamb took flight and dive bombed towards Lind. She reached her target first and grappled Lind, bearing her to the floor and then thumping her hard. However, Spear Mint was on her in seconds and tackled her, sending them both spinning away. Lind scrabbled to her feet and turned just in time to see Jago body slam Cool Mint into the rock. Spear Mint and Lamb meanwhile were involved in an intense aerial battle; spinning, diving in, shooting off combat spells and then racing away. For the time being, Spear Mint was holding her own but Cool Mint was getting royally slaughtered. As Lind surged forward to aid her angel, Cool Mint sent a lightning arc roaring towards Jago who casually caught the attack on the end of his fingers and with a single rapid movement; he discharged the spell into the Earth. To counter, he sent a bolt of plasma surging towards her and then summoned an Aegis shield which he used to charge her. However, now Lind was there and together, she and Cool Mint rammed the shield, stopping Jago dead in his tracks.

Meanwhile Spear Mint was now struggling to combat Lamb. Not only was Lamb physically stronger but her larger wings made both faster and more manoeuvrable and whilst the majority of Lamb's spells were severely lacking, her combat spells were phenomenally powerful. And now Spear Mint was on the run. She dodged hard left, sending an ice bolt back towards Lamb who simply vaporized the attack with Heat Shield spell. She then dived on Spear Mint, whose head jerked upwards from a sharp uppercut to the jaw. Lamb then kneed her in the stomach and Spear Mint folded, just as Lamb's elbows thumped down on her spine. Lamb then spread her wings and summoned one of her most powerful spells;

"RAZOR WINGED STRIKE!" she shouted, her wings instantly morphing into a great wall of metal, each feather a razor tipped blade. She dove on Spear Mint and used her wings so slice at her, trying to cripple the falling angel.

"FROZEN THUNDER FIRE!" Spear Mint gasped as the blades struck home and the blast hammered into Lamb's side, spinning her around. She simply grunted, ignoring the pain and continued to hack away at Spear Mint, her wings becoming sticky with snow white blood. Spear Mint fell back, trying to staunch the flow of blood from a particularly vicious cut to her wing. "_Mistress! Help me!"_ she cried desperately to Lind and she responded, leaping skyward and bodily tackling Lamb from behind. Together, they crashed into the Aegis shield that encircled the arena and then they fell to the ground. Lamb pulled herself to her knees and used her still sharp wings to heave Lind off of her back, feeling the feathers bite into Lind's flesh as she did so. Spear Mint then attack, foot-stomping Lamb between the shoulder blades. The bigger angel was thumped into the ground, only for Jago to arrive and use a two-handed blow to knock Spear Mint aside. He then stooped and pulled Lamb up by her shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked and Lamb nodded. She dispelled the wing blades and then took up her position beside Jago, ready for the next fight. Meanwhile, Lind and the Mint Sisters had regrouped and were preparing for another round.

"_Mater, it's ready"_ Damascus said and Jago grinned.

"Hey Lind!" he shouted. "What do you know about dakka?" Lind's brow wrinkled as her healing spell repaired the cuts caused by Lamb's wings.

"Dakka? I thought you weren't using bullets anymore?"

"He's not, but I am!" Lind and her angels turned to see Damascus standing behind them, her arms folded and grinning.

"What are you planning Damascus?" Spear Mint asked with a note of contempt in her voice. "We all know you're not a fighter". Damascus nodded.

"True but I don't need to be" she said, snapping her fingers and removing the camouflage spell from her creation. Lind's face turned pale as she realised that she was looking straight down the guns of an Iowa class battleship that was about to release a full broadside on her; all fifty-seven thousand tons of it. "Say hello to my little friend!"

"Oh shit" swore Lind and Damascus ducked as the huge guns fired. Nine sixteen-inch guns, twenty five-inch guns, eighty fourty-mil guns and fourty-nine twenty-mil guns thumped into life, pounding the unfortunate goddess with a wall of pure dakka. Damascus calmly walked around her and stopped next to Jago and Lamb to enjoy the fireworks display.

"We should have brought popcorn" Lamb said and Jago grinned. However, as they were watching, they heard a voice clearly above the roar of the guns.

"INFERNO BOMB!" Lind shouted and a wave of pure heat shot forward from the smoke cloud that marked where the shells were striking, cutting into the thick armour of the warship. The temperature built and Lamb and Damascus created a dual Aegis shield to protect them from the from the wall of fire heat, as the heavy steel started to melt and the vessel finally exploded as the on-board ammunition cooked-off. Eventually, the smoke cleared, revealing Lind standing alone in the centre of the crater ridden earth, her angels recalled and the battleship a steaming wreck of molten slag. "Is that the best you can do?" Lind asked, turning to face them. Damascus shook her head.

"Look up". Lind did and was just in time to see the giant pole slam into her from the sky, burying her in the ground whilst causing a shockwave like a large earthquake.

"Wow" said Jago. "You really did make a Rod of God". Damascus beamed.

"I knew the battleship wouldn't stop her; it was just a distraction so we could drop that on her".

"What is that?" Lamb asked as they slid down into the crater that was now located in the centre of the arena.

"That I think was a kinetic bombardment round; basically a tungsten telephone pole with rocket on its arse. The idea is that it's launched from space, accelerates to Mach ten and then hits its target with the force of a small nuclear bomb". Jago carefully made his way over to the rod and looked down into the secondary crater that had formed around it. "Hey Lind man?" Jago called out. "Is you dead?" In response, there was growl, the pole suddenly heated and then exploded, sending Jago flying backwards. He pulled himself back into a sitting position and coughed away some dust. "I guess not then". At that moment Lind leapt from the crater and landed nimbly in front of them. Her uniform was battered and torn and there was a gash across her temple but she ignored these as she stood, looking bloody furious.

"Enough games!" she shouted. "All you've done is piss me off! Now I will show you the true power of a Valkyrie!" With that, her eyes turned golden and she started to chant, summoning a wall of pure energy that would consume anything that it touched.

"OH SHIT!" Jago shouted and scrambled to his feet as Damascus started a counter-chant, creating her own energy wall. The two walls met and huge sparks started flying as each concentrated on pouring their strength and force of will into their wall.

"A little help please?" Damascus said, causing Jago to snap out of his daze and race forwards to help her. Lamb followed him and soon all three stood shoulder-to-shoulder, trying to push back Lind's wall.

"Dammit" Lind muttered as her wall was steadily pushed back. The Mint Sisters appeared and through their combined efforts, they were able to halt the progression of Damascus's wall.

"It seems we're evenly matched" Jago said to her through gritted teeth.

"I don't think so" said Lind and she reached around, swiping both full sets of boosters on her shoulders. She screamed as her muscles convulsed, trying to tear themselves from her bones. She collapsed to her knees, unable to stand but it didn't matter; the massive surge of energy had almost shattered Damascus's wall. It would only take a little more and they would be defeated.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" Jago said as Lind's wall surged forwards, ready to steamroller all those in its way. "Damascus, can you do anything?" he asked but she shook her head.

"I can't cast any spells while we're maintaining this shield and I don't have the physical strength to push it back".

"Well then maybe I can do something" said Lamb. "Master, if I go Prime then I can easily overwhelm their defences. If you two attack when this happens then we should be able to beat them".

"But Lamb, isn't that incredibly dangerous?" Jago asked. Lamb nodded.

"Yes but we don't have much choice. Besides, I won't use all of my power; just enough to break their wall". Jago paused and then nodded.

"Do it". Lamb closed her eyes and focused her mind, seeking out the source of all her power. The golden energy began to pulse through her veins and Lamb unlocked her Prime powers, becoming the physical embodiment of her kind; the Fighting Archangel. She spread her hundred-foot wings and focused all of her might into driving back Lind's power wall. In less than a second, the Mint Sisters were overwhelmed and their energy wall collapsed. As the wall broke, Jago leapt forward, drawing his reaming maul as he went as Damascus came in close behind, letting fly with a hail of lightning bolts. Jago struck Spear Mint hard in the stomach, forcing the angel to her knees and while Cool Mint avoided Damascus's lightning, the devil was able to tackle her and had begun raking her with her long claws. Lind meanwhile was too exhausted to do anything and could only watch helplessly as her angels were relentlessly pummelled. Her boosters had sapped what was left of her strength and as such, she was unable to fight. But she had to. She needed to push Jago to his absolute limit. Then she realised how she could do it.

"Spear Mint, Cool Mint, come back!" she called and her angels did so, returning to Lind as she pulled herself shakily to her feet. Jago turned towards her, panting as he did so.

"Had enough have you?" he asked Lind as Lamb, now back to her normal self, leaned heavily on him for support, her own energy stores sapped from her use of her Prime powers. Lind however just shook her head.

"Nowhere near" she said. Jago cocked his head.

"You still want to fight? You just used all of your boosters so aren't you aching?" Lind grinned.

"True" she said. "I have almost exhausted myself and my angels. However, I still have my trump card to play; my true form!"

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There was collective gasp from the stands as Lind revealed her true form to Jago.

"Now that's something that I thought that she would never do" Valmeyar said to Tam.

"What is that thing?" Tam asked.

"That's Lind" said Valmeyar. "At least, that's her from. What you see when you look at a goddess is not what we truly are; it is the form that we choose to take so that we can more easily interact with humans. However, in reality we are ten dimensional beings. The fact that Lind has chosen to reveal her true form is testament to her determination to defeat Jago" Tam nodded.

"Does he have any chance of winning?" she asked. Valmeyar thought for a second.

"Not likely. A three dimensional being cannot fight a ten dimensional one and hope to win. His Archs are drained of power and unless he has some special technique, he doesn't stand a chance. To him, my daughter is now barely even comprehensible, never mind fightable". At this Tam laughed and she pointed down towards the arena although she averted her eyes at the sight of Lind.

"Well I think you spoke too soon" she said. "Jago is fighting back".

"True. But he isn't going to last long. Lind has every advantage".

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Jago gasped at Lind's sudden change of form. Her human-like body had vanished to be replaced by what could only be described as an eldritch abomination. Just looking at her had become painful as his three dimensional mind tried vainly to comprehend the ten dimensional horror that was his lover. Those bits of her that he COULD see resembled a gigantic, thousand headed, white dragon with eyes, spines and tentacles adorning its form. However this was surely only the merest representation of what was being seen. Parts of Lind faded in and out of focus as she slithered between dimensions; some becoming translucent of as they entered spectrums of light that were not normally visible to the human eye or slipped into another plain of existence, only to emerge somewhere else. And that was just the bits that COULD be seen. The whole of the arena seemed to fill with a THERENESS that suggested Lind's presence even if she wasn't compressible.

"Holy sweet shit-fuck" Jago swore softly. The texture of the air changed and Jago felt a sense that Lind was SMILING at him.

"So Paladin, what do you think of my true form?" she said in a voice that came from everywhere and _everywhen_ simultaneously. Jago closed his eyes and tapped his head with his knuckles. He opened them again and winced.

"Well I knew you were eldritch monstrosity but this is going too far" he said. And then he grinned. "But I ain't giving up yet!" He recalled Lamb and Damascus, hefted his maul and charged. Lind was ready for him however. A limb materialised from nowhere and calmly swatted Jago aside, sending his maul spinning away. He gagged and stood slowly, watching as the limb disappeared back into the ether. "That's not fair" he said and then he started to run as an impossible number of THINGS appeared from nowhere and started attacking him. He quickly realised that he could strike some of them, normally just before they struck him, as they manifested into forms that COULD actually strike him but even these were coming too thick and too fast. He needed help. "_Lamb, Damascus, what do I do? She ain't got no arse to kick! Can't you two do something?"_ The angels were silent for a second as Jago used his fist to crack what appeared to be a disembodied set of jaws as they discussed the options.

"_It's no good Master"_ Lamb said finally. "_We don't have the power left to fight something Lind in her true form. We need to surrender"._

_"Not yet" _said Jago_. "Not while I can still fight! Come on, think you two!"_ He let fly with another punch that appeared to pass straight through the thing it had been aimed at, only to impact with another appendage that by all rights didn't appear to have been in range. "_What about magic? What if I hit her with some combat spells?"_

_"That might work" _said Damascus._ "But we don't have the energy for any more magic. Not unless you've been keeping a booster in your pocket that we don't know about"._

_"No" _admitted Jago.

"STOP TALKING TO YOUR ANGELS AND FIGHT ME!" Lind bellowed, screamed and screeched. "Your thoughts are just another dimension to me!" With that, something latched onto Jago's mind and started raking through his mind. He collapsed to his knees and tried to stop Lind as she bit into his brain. He tried blocking her but she just ignored him. So he tried something else; he went on the offensive, imagining a giant spike jabbing at the monster in his mind. Lind gave a yelp and quickly retreated.

"And stay out!" Jago shouted. And then he realised it; he had a way to beat her. But he didn't want to use it. _"Damascus, Lamb; instant vote. Jupiter has the power to beat her, even if he only concentrates on the three dimensional parts of her. At least I hope so. Do I use him? Yay or nay? I don't want to but I can't see any alternative."_

_"Yay" _said Damascus.

_"Yay" _said Lamb.

_"Done" _said Jago. _"Now lead me, follow me or get out of my way!"_ Lind chuckled as she hear Jago's plan. So he was finally using Jupiter? It was about time.

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Jago closed his eyes, focusing his mind and searching for his darkness. His inner monster. And he found him. Lamb and Damascus took cover in the deepest recesses of Jago's mind as they felt Jupiter emerge, swelling Jago with an near infinite source of raw power. His eyes shot open, red with dark energies as Jupiter stared at Lind.

"It's been too long" he said. "You and I never finished our fight from when that golem was around". Lind chuckled.

"Clever Jago. Jupiter has the physical strength to beat me but I must ask, what if I move into a dimension where you can't touch me?" To demonstrate, she faded completely from existence and then attacked from a hundred directions at once. No being should have been able to combat something like that. But Jupiter did. Lind was stunned.

"You think that I will be that easy to beat?" Jupiter asked. "Let me show you what a real attack is!" His skin crackled with energy and with a roar, red light shot forth from him, enveloping the arena in a sinister glow. Jupiter's body was surrounded by a titanic field of pure darkness, an evil energy that threatened to shatter the very existence of the world. And then he grinned. "CATACLISM!" he shouted simply and a wave of infinite destruction tore through the arena. Lind had just enough time to register this spell before it was upon her; it was the most powerful of Hell's destruction spells, easily capable of destroying a goddess in her true from. She could only do one thing:

"DIVINE RETRIBUTION!" she shouted and the two spells collided with an explosion. But she was failing; her strength no match for that of Jupiter.

"I think he's won this" she said to herself and prepared to surrender. But then she felt him; Jago.

_"LIND! DON'T STOP!" _ Lind's visible eyes opened wide.

"_JAGO?" _ she said in confusion. "_But I thought-"_

_"LISTEN LIND! JUPITER IS GOING OUT OF CONTROL! I'M HOLDING HIM BACK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BUT HE IS TOO STRONG! IF YOU DON'T STOP HIM THEN…" _

"_What Jago?" _she asked, her fear building.

"_He will kill you_" Jago said. "_You and out son_".

"How can you be sure?" she asked.

"_I have seen it_" said Jago. "_How do you think I won the courage test?_" Lind was stunned but Jago, in desperation, shared the memory with here, allowing their two minds to bind together. And then she knew it; Jupiter would kill her. He would kill their son. And if he beat her, then he would kill Jago. She had to defeat him! But she was out of time and out of power. How could she beat this unstoppable monster? Then she realised it; Jago wasn't the only one with an extra power source. She had one inside of her too; her unborn son.

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Lind concentrated and with a grunt, she reformed her human body and placed one hand on her stomach. She had one chance; she had to beat Jupiter now or she would lose everything that she had gained since she had met Jago.

"Oh my unborn son!" she said, starting to chant. "Let me feel your strength for you are the one of both Heaven and Earth! By the light of my eye and the fire of my heart, bring forth your power and protect you from destruction!" Then she felt it; the surge of power as her body accepted the power that her son had to give. Her aching muscles returned to full strength and grinned as her powers increased to three times their normal level. Now they were unlocked, this is where they would stay like this for life. For she was the mother; the protector and the giver of life. And now it was time to kick arse! With a shout, she poured her strength into her spell, forcing back Jupiter's until they stopped in between them. Jupiter gritted his teeth in frustration, pouring more power into the spell but Lind matched him for every ounce of strength that he applied. And then the spells exploded. Lind had just enough time to cover her face as the explosion consumed both of them and flung to the far ends of the ring. Her eyesight faded and she blacked out as she hit the ground.

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"Lind, get up" someone said to her. She groaned her body feeling like she had just gone over a waterfall. "Lind, get up now!" She groaned again. She felt sick and weak but at least she was alive. "CAPTAIN LIND! BY MY COMMAND YOU WILL GET UP NOW!" Lind's eyes shot open as she recognised the voice as that of the Almighty One. She looked up and saw the Almighty standing over her, looking angry. She shot to her feet and bowed her head.

"My Lordship!" she said. The Almighty One sighed.

"At ease Captain" he said. Lind nodded her thanks and then looked around.

"Where's Jago? And what happened? The last thing I remember was I had unlocked my son's powers and then there was an explosion!" The Almighty One sighed and stepped aside to reveal Jago stood behind him. And it was defiantly Jago. His eyes were deep brown-green instead of the glowing red of Jupiter's and he smiled when he saw her.

"You did it lass" he said. "You managed to counter Jupiter. It was a near thing but you managed it!"

"But what did I do exactly?" Lind asked.

"Perhaps I should answer that". Lind turned to see Hild stood off to one side. She frowned at the Daimankaichō but nodded. "Well" she said, "you and Jupiter were equally matched once you started using your pregnancy powers and between you, you poured enough power into your spells that you caused a supernova within the space of the arena. One so powerful that it managed to shatter an Ultimate Aegis Shield". Lind opened her eyes wide and looked around properly for the first time. The entire arena had been blasted completely flat by the combined spell, with the walls of the ring reduced to a pile of fine sand.

"MY GOD!" she said. "Lordship, was anyone hurt?" The Almighty shook his head.

"Lady Hild and I were able to contain the explosion" he said. "However, there is still the matter of this duel. As you know there has to be a champion but you were both knocked unconscious so officially, the duel still hasn't finished".

"So it looks like we still have a score to settle" Jago said with an evil grin but then his face softened. "But only if you're up for it". Lind nodded and she prepared to fight again.

"Just a second" the Almighty said. "While I agree that this duel needs and ending, I don't want to risk another supernova".

"Well I have a solution" said Jago. "A simple weapons duel; no magic, no acrobatics. We each use a weapon of our choice and the first one to draw blood is the winner". There was a pause and then Lind, the Almighty and Hild all nodded.

"Agreed" the Almighty said. "Then let the duel continue". Jago grinned and he reached under his jacket, grasping the handle of his khukuri and pulling it free. He spun it in his hand and he readied himself for the sight. Lind meanwhile reached under one of the flaps of her tunic and pulled a seax, a Saxon fighting knife, free from its sheath. As she spun her weapon in her hand, Jago recognised it; it was the same knife that she had used to cut her hair, leaving her with her single long lock on her right side. And then they began to circle each other; two wolves, each waiting for the other to strike first. As it happened they struck simultaneously, both charging forwards with a battle cry.

"AYO GORKHALI!" Jago roared.

"VALKYRIES!" Lind bellowed and their blades met in the air. They stepped back and then Jago stepped forward, slicing at Lind's chest. Lind dodged and stepped forward, slicing at Jago's blade hand. He spun aside and then the two blades crashed together again and they grappled with each other, trying to use their relative strengths to their advantage. In terms of power, they were equally matched. Lind outclassed Jago in speed and evasiveness but he had superior weight, height and reach. As such, they were evenly matched and after half an hour, they were both exhausted. They both stepped back, panting from another brief spat and stood glaring at each other.

"At this rate, we're still going to be doing this by the end of time". Lind grinned.

"I don't think so. I can outlast you". Jago grunted and removed his hat, wiping his brow free of sweat. "Tired?" Lind asked and Jago nodded.

"But I think I'm about to win". With that, he stepped forward and raised his khukuri. Lind saw the move and lunged forward, expecting him to attack. But she had fallen into his trap. Instead of striking with his khukuri, he raised his hat and sliced the brim across Lind's face. She yelped in surprise at the sudden blow and more so at the unexpected pain it caused. She reached up to her cheek an she felt a thin streak of blood leaking from her face.

"You've beaten me Jago" she said. "But how…?"

"Well, some people carry concealed weapons for those "just in case" moments" he said. "Some carry sword canes or belt knives or other crap like that. Personally though, I tend to carry a hat brim filled with sharpened pennies". Lind looked dumbstruck. And then she smiled and grinned.

"You vicious bastard!" she said and she kissed him heavily on the lips. He returned it and then they broke apart, smiling. Jago rubbed a thumb across Lind's cheek and used a little of his remaining magic to heal the cut.

"That's my name, don't wear it out". Then hand in hand, they stepped out of the arena, into the silence of the fields. Lind stepped ahead of Jago and looked up to address the crowd.

"Jago has beaten me. By the ancient laws, I hereby declare him to be champion!" There was a hushed silence. And then the entire field erupted into cheers. Hats were thrown, praise was shouted and people started streaming down the steps and onto the field itself as Jago wrapped an arm around Lind's shoulders.

"Jago! Lind!" They turned to see the other members of team Earth coming across the field towards them. Belldandy stopped and smiled at them.

"Congratulations Mister Jago!" Belldandy said. "That had to have been the longest and most gruelling duel in all of history!"

"It was incredible!" said Keiichi. "I have never seen anything like that!" Jago and Lind both gave tired grins as they walked through the crowd of their friends towards the pavilion that marked the winners circle. As they went, they were joined by many thousands of others, all jostling for a chance to either shake their hands or slap them on the back. At last they arrived and stood quietly as the wave of chatter surrounded them and waited patiently for the announcer to arrive. However, the crowd went silent and then parted as a small group made their way through the press of bodies. It was quickly realised that this group was the possibly the most powerful in all of existence as it was made up of the rulers of every realm, headed by Hild and the Almighty. Jago and Lind both dropped to their knees and saluted the group as they approached and were followed by the rest of the crowd. Finally, they reached the pavilion.

"Jago Finch" the Almighty said in his rumbling voice. "You have proven yourself to us as a worthy man. You have created a weapon of unparalleled beauty, you faced the most horrifying of foes and you have bested the mightiest fighter there has ever been in single combat". Jago nodded his head in agreement. "However, there will be no laurels of victory for you". With a sudden flourish, the Almighty pulled a mighty war hammer from his belt and gently laid the head on Jago's shoulder. "Instead, I hereby grant you the rank of Paladin, as awarded to only those who have proved their skill, courage and value in the service of this world. Now arise: Lord Jago Finch, Paladin First Class, Arch licence". Jago's head shot up and he looked into the grinning of the Almighty. He stood unsteadily and the Almighty smiled to him. "Congratulations" he said and then pulled Jago a hug. "Take care of Lind" he whispered and then took a step back and cleared his throat. "In the name of Heaven, I, Lord Tyr, do pledge to you my support". He stepped aside and Hild stepped forward.

"In the name of Hell, I, Lady Hild, do pledge to you my support". She leaned in and whispered to him; "You lucky bastard". He grinned and then Hild moved aside to allow the next leader to make his pledge to Jago. By the time that they had finished, Jago was exhausted but he felt elated; he had secured the rank of Paladin and through it, he had secured a future for Lind and his son. When the final leader stepped down, the Almighty spoke again.

"Thank you all for your participation. This has certainly been one of the most successful Deity Games in history. Now however, we have had enough talk. Without any further ado, let the feast begin!" The was a uproarious cheer and the Almighty turned to lead the way to where the victory meal. Jago turned towards Lind and he smiled.

"Did he say feast?" Lind grinned.

"Food and sex, is that all you ever think about?" Jago thought for a second and then nodded.

"I'm a… twenty year old man, what else am I supposed to think about?" Lind laughed and her wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked down the steps to join their friends.

"Thank you Jago" Lind said as they walked. "Or should I say, Lord Paladin?" Jago snorted.

"Start calling me that and you'll be heading in the right direction for a smacked bottom!"

"Promises, promises" Lind said playfully. "In all seriousness though, thank you. You have done much for our son". Jago nodded and then mentally paused.

"This Paladin job? Does it have a uniform? The kind with a cape and shiny buttons?" Lind thought for a second.

"It has a shiny helmet" she said.

"Bugger" said Jago. "I'm gonna look like aright numpty".

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High in the stands, Tam and Valmeyar both sat quietly and watched the others slowly leave.

"Well, it seems that your son DID beat my daughter" Valmeyar said. Tam nodded.

"I never doubted him" she said. "I suppose this means that they are now officially together". She turned towards Valmeyar. "Your husband a bastard who was fucked over by his job and now won't speak to you?" Valmeyar nodded.

"You willing to accept their offspring's lover, even if you're not entirely sure about them?" Tam nodded. "Good. I suppose it's better than what most parents can hope for".

"Aye" said Tam. "Now how about a drink?"

"I thought you would never ask".

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Further along in the stands, Deaderuss and Angrboða sat quietly considering the events of the past few hours.

"So" said Deaderuss, "this human is tougher than we thought. And now, he's the Paladin". Angrboða nodded.

"So what do we do now? Should we send for Gandamak?"

"Not yet" said Deaderuss. "Let them enjoy a few days of peace and then send him, when they least expect it. In the meantime, I think I have come up with a plan for what to do with Weth".

"Oh really? And what might that be?" Deaderuss grinned.

"A spy. And maybe later, a seductress".

**Authors note: as always, read and if you care, drop me a review. You know you want to! **

**Also, special thanks to J4RRE77 for allowing me to use his character (Jeiko Sukaru) from his fic, Lind's Long Lost Love. Your the greatest mate!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Gandamak **

"Do I really have to wear this? I look like a twerp" Jago said, plucking at his uniform.

"You look good Master" said Lamb but Jago snorted.

"No offence Lamb but I'm not taking fashion advice from someone who's entire wardrobe consists of a bed sheet".

"Oh come on Jago" Lind said from behind the screen. "You only have to wear it on ceremonial occasions".

"I still look stupid" Jago said and he turned to look in the mirror. He had gold and white coloured, flared pantaloons and a puffy silk shirt under a shiny, gold breastplate that was so ornately decorated that it should it be taken into battle, the wearer would be lynched for artistic vandalism, not to mention that it was impractically heavy. There was a cloak of fine white silk that billowed at the slightest provocation but was impossible to use to keep warm. The boots were stiff and uncomfortable black leather that flapped as he walked. And then there was the helmet. It was gold and shiny, with horns and a purple plume that suck out nearly three foot above his head. Overall, if he was a foot taller, built of muscles and BLIND, he might have considered this a good outfit but as it was, he looked like a bloody fool. Lind sighed from behind the screen.

"Look Jago, it's just for tonight and then again for your inauguration, the day after tomorrow. After that, you can go back to wearing whatever you like. Remember, you're the Paladin now so you have to look the part". Jago grunted.

"Still don't like it" he said. Lind sighed again and pulled aside the screen.

"Well if I wear this under my gown tonight, might that change your mind? Jago turned and he gasped as Lind leaned provocatively against the screen. Lacy black knickers, black bra you could almost see through, garter belt and suspenders. Nuff said.

"I'll wear it" he said. Lind smiled.

"Good" she said and she leaned forward and kissed him gently.

"I'm keeping the khukuri though" he said.

"I suppose that's fair" said Lind and she back away. "We have to leave in a few minutes so please be ready". Jago nodded and turned back to the mirror, tightening his belt, with his big knife tucked securely under his cape. He sighed and slipped on his helmet. And then as an afterthought, he picked up his Stetson and slipped the REME badge out of the brim, pinning it to his left shoulder.

"Showtime" he said with a grim smile and he stepped out from behind the screen.

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It was dark as Jago and Lind made their way to towards the great hall, now fully dressed for dinner. Jago had his uniform on and was very miffed about it while Lind had opted for a flowing white, gold and blue robe, similar to Belldandy's.

"So what are you planning to do after tour inauguration?" Lind asked. Jago shrugged.

"I thought perhaps we should think about going home" Jago said. "I mean, we've done what we came here to do so unless Lord Tyr needs me for anything, I see no reason to stay". Lind nodded.

"I see". Jago frowned.

"What's up?" he asked. "You wanna stay? I've got no problem with staying if that's what you want". Lind shook her head.

"It's not that" she said. "I was just thinking that I was just getting used to the quiet life and now that you're the Paladin, it's going to get a lot livelier".

"Hark at you! The almighty Lind, wishing for a quiet life!" They both laughed but were cut short by the sound of shouting.

"How could you lose to him? That… that… that…. HUMAN!" They both passed and nodded to each other, deciding to investigate. They headed in the direction of the noise and soon discovered the source; Lord Deaderuss. He was publically berating a cowering Praetorian as a small crowd gather around them. "You are unfit to be my apprentice! You are unfit to be a Praetorian!" He slapped her hard, knocking her sideways and sending her helmet skittering away. It was then that Jago recognised her; it was the Praetorian he had beaten earlier that day, just before he had been forced to combat Lind. She gasped at the blow, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Forgive me my Lord!" she said, bowing her head submissively. "I have failed you!"

"Yes you have and as such, you shall be punished!" Deaderuss slapped her again, sending her sprawling and then he reached under his cloak, pulling forth his sword, still in its sheath, clearly intending to use it as a club. As he raised it the girl raised her hand to defend herself.

"Please my Lord! I swear I will not fail you again! Please no!" Deaderuss swung but his sheath clanged hard against something metallic, stopping it dead in its tracks. Jago had intervened, drawing his khukuri and using it to block the blade.

"What the Hell are you doing Deaderuss?" Jago asked. "She's pleading for you to stop".

"This is none of your concern Paladin!" Deaderuss snapped. "And it's Lord Deaderuss if you don't mind".

"Alright _Lord_ Deaderuss but why are you beating this poor girl? What could she have done to deserve such treatment?" Deaderuss snorted.

"She failed to win a single event today! As such she has shamed the Praetorians and she must be punished!"

"By beating her senseless?" Jago said and he snorted. "That's way out of line!"

"It is none of your concern!" Deaderuss snarled. "Not only is she a Praetorian but she is also my personal apprentice! As such, I may do with her as I see fit!"

"That is not true Deaderuss!" They turned to see Lind approaching them, her face like thunder. "You have a duty to care for and protect your apprentice as if they were your own child. And while this means that you do have to keep them disciplined, you do not beat them half to death for such trivia! Now; if you won't protect her then I will and if that means that I must fight you then I will also do that".

"You forget your place _Captain"_ Deaderuss sneered. "I outrank you and if you were to threaten me in any way, I have the power to have you cast out again, only this time it would be permanent!"

"In that case, this girl is now under MY protection!" Jago said. "I'm pretty sure that as Paladin, I am of an equal rank as you, so I have power, the authority and also the responsibility to protect this girl. And if you touch her again, I WILL beat you to within an inch of your life". There was muttering from the assembled crowd and Deaderuss snorted.

"Fight me? In your current state?" Jago nodded.

"I may be exhausted but it won't stop me from doing my duty". Deaderuss glared at him and Jago just glared back, each waiting for the other to blink.

"Fine" said Deaderuss, ramming his sword back into his belt. "But you have made yourself an enemy today Paladin". He turned and faced the still cowering goddess. "And you" he said. "I hereby renounce you as my apprentice and cast you from the Praetorians. You are disgraced". With that he turned briskly and strode away. Jago let out a deep breath and sheathed his khukuri.

"Well that was tense" Lind said.

"Agreed" said Jago and he offered a hand to the girl. "You alright lass". She snarled and slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me" she hissed. "Because of you, I have lost everything I have ever strived for!" She stood and before Jago could say anything, she ran off into the crowd. Jago sighed.

"I should stay at home more; I seem to have a habit of fucking up the lives of Valkyries". Lind snorted.

"Well, at least she should be safe from that sadist" she said. "Now come, we'll track her down later. For now, we have a party to get to". Jago nodded and they turned to leave.

"You know, I've just realised something" he said. "I didn't even have chance to ask that girl her name".

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From behind the nearby trees, the girl, Weth was watching. And she smiled. Her Master's plan had worked perfectly and Jago had taken the bait, taking her under his wing. The fool! Now all she had to do was report to Deaderuss all that transpired between the Paladin, Lind the traitor and those friends of his. Deaderuss had also asked her to try and seduce the Paladin if she could. She wasn't sue about this; she had yet to meet her own first love but she knew that Jago was a human male and a young one at that and so, no matter how loyal he was to Lind, he would surely be attracted to her advances. And with luck, once he and Lind were separated and he was at his most vulnerable she would have the honour of killing him.

8888

The feast had already begun when Jago and Lind arrived and they were greeted by a mighty cheer from those already there.

"I think we're popular" Jago said out the corner of his mouth and Lind smiled.

"I get that feeling too. Come on now, let's find somewhere to sit and maybe enjoy ourselves". This was easier than might be expected as the entire area was full of tables, each capable of seating about twenty and piled high with every sort of delicacy imaginable. Between every few tables, there was a roaring fire that provided heat and light to those around them. And they went on for miles; table after table, each packed with members of every race imaginable. Everything was pretty informal with the lowest goblin mixing with the mightiest of gods and everyone in between, with individuals or small groups leaving one table to go and join another. It was a merry gathering and the sound of songs and laughter echoed through the night.

"OH! LORD JAGO!" They turned to see someone waving to them from a nearby table and Jago recognised it as Lord Grimnore, the dwarf.

"You go" Lind said with a smile. "I'll meet you back at the barracks later". Jago nodded and she turned away, heading towards a table that was mostly occupied by Valkyries. Jago meanwhile strode over to the table and bowed to the dwarf.

"My Lord Grimnore!" Jago said, beaming. "It's a pleasure to see you again!" Grimnore waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh, dispense with the formalities and pull up a chair!" he said. Jago grinned and did so, grabbing a chair between the dwarf Lord and a small engine troll. Lord Grimnore smiled.

"You're a right bastard, you know that?"

"I have been told" said Jago with a grin, helping himself to a huge rack of ribs and a mug of strong ale. "But why am I am a bastard in this case?"

"Well you beat me three times today" said the dwarf. "To be honest though, after seeing that final duel against Old Battle Wings herself, I quite glad that I DIDN'T have to fight you in the end". He took a mouth full of ale and he smiled. "Hell, anyone short of the Almighty One himself would have trouble beating you, especially now that you're Paladin".

"Those Archs of yours were a definite help. If it were a fair fight though, I would have beaten you easily!" They both turned to see Lord Sukaru stood behind them, a grin on his face.

"Well that's not exactly much of an incentive to fight fair now is it?" said Jago and they both laughed. Seeing the approach of yet another Lord, the small troll rapidly made his departure, making space for Lord Sukaru. Jago chuckled to himself. "How about I offer you both a chance at redemption?" Eyebrows were raised which particularly from Grimnore, was quite a sight to behold.

"How do you plan to achieve that then?" Lord Sukaru, pulling over an entire keg of ale.

"Simple, who's up for a drinking contest? I'm always hungrier after a few vodkas and I could do with packing as much in as possible". Grimnore snorted.

"Well that sounds fair to me" he said. "What about you Sukaru? Are you in?" The Earth spirit looked doubtful for a moment.

"I'm not sure that's fair" he said. "You have two angels to help you out". Jago thought for a second and then nodded.

"I see the problem" he said. "Lamb, Damascus, come on out". The two appeared behind Jago, Lamb smiling and Damascus giving her usual, disapproving frown.

"Yes Master?" Lamb asked.

"For tonight only, you two are free to do as you please" Jago said. "Go and enjoy yourselves. Damascus, I'm assuming that there demons who you might want to catch up with?" Damascus smiled, flashing her fangs and nodded. "Well go on then". She nodded and departed.

"Well I'm not going anywhere" said Lamb sitting down stubbornly.

"Well that's not exactly fair" said Jago.

"Interesting fact about Archangels Master; while inside our Master, we have the same strengths and weaknesses, outside we are tend to differ. And this includes a different tolerance to alcohol. Plus, I need to recharge my batteries; going Prime really takes it out of a girl".

"What's she saying?" Grimnore asked, Jago having forgotten that only those who possessed an angel or a devil could hear one speak.

"She says that since she has different tolerances to alcohol when she's out, she want's in on our game".

"Well that sounds fair" said Jeiko. "Let's get started then".

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As it turned out, this turned into the most epic drinking contest in all of history. Fully half of the goddesses of Heaven, the demons of Hell and everyone in between were involved at some point or other, each hoping for a chance to drink the new Paladin under the table. Belldandy took an early lead due to her intolerance to alcohol but was then brought crashing down as someone slipped her cola. Poor Grimnore had passed out only about half way through the evening. One by one, all of the rest fell by the wayside until finally, only a small group were left drinking; Jago, Jeiko, a few of the more stubborn deities, Lamb and rather worryingly, the Almighty One. This was the last thing that Jago actually remembered before waking the next morning and finding himself back in Lind's room. He groaned softly.

"Bugger me sideways with a horseradish" he said. "How much did I drink last night?" He then felt and arm wrap around him. He rolled over to see Lind and she kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Morning sleeping beauty" she said. "How do you feel?"

"Like there's a Frenchman living in my head" Jago said. "Or maybe just Peorth". He sat up slowly and chuckled. "Well this is new; NEVER been hungover before. What the Hell happened last night?"

"You got into a drinking competition with just about everybody else. And you beat about ninety-five per cent of them".

"And the rest?"

"Well, you passed out about ten seconds before Lord Sukaru did so he's going to pleased. Lamb however, was still holding her own against the Almighty when Damascus brought you home".

"Where's Lamb now?" Jago asked.

"_Go away!" _ a voice mumbled from deep inside.

"Well that answers my question then" said Jago. "How about you?" he asked Lind. "How are you doing?" Lind gave a frown.

"I'm in a funny mood" she said. She then pulled aside the covers with a playful smile the reveal the same lacy black underwear she had been wearing the night before. "Care to make me feel better?" Jago thought for a second.

"Give me a glass of water, a couple of aspirins and about twenty seconds".

8888

It was the following day that Gandamak came. Jago's inauguration had been delayed by a day, probably as most of the heads of state were still hungover themselves. However, there was nothing that could have prepared them for the coming of the beast. In fact the first that anyone new about it, he was already there.

Jago was awoken by the feeling of something tugging at his foot. He grunted, trying to kick whatever it was away. However, the tugging persisted and finally Jago open his eyes and looked down. There was something at the end of the bed. It resembled a tiny, tartan patterned elephant but without tusks or a mouth, instead having teeth growing inside the end of its trunk.

"PONK" went the creature and it returned to tugging at Jago's foot, apparently interested in his sock.

"Lind?" Jago asked. "What's that?" Lind grunted sleepily until Jago nudged her.

"What?" she said with exasperation. "Jago, I'm trying to sleep".

"Well, there's something trying to chew my foot". Lind shot upright, summoning her halberd as she went and with a single move, she sliced the small creature in half.

"For crying out loud! Who let those out again?"

"What was it?" Jago asked but was interrupted by the sound of shouting. A quick check of the corridor revealed a scene straight out of funny pages; half-dressed Valkyries chasing more brightly coloured elephants with weapons, many of the elephants trailing stolen cloths behind them. One of the Valkyries stopped in her progress of chasing down an elephant that appeared to be carrying a bra.

"Captain!" she said to Lind. "Someone let the Eaters of Cloths out again!" Lind nodded and sighed.

"I can see that. Jago, are you up for some pest control?" Jago nodded and he picked up his hittin stick.

"Always ready for pest control" he said. As you might expect, hilarity rained as they all worked to capture the Eaters of Cloths. In fact, all that was missing was the yakety sax playing in the background. Finally however, they got all of them. Jago sat down panting on the countertop as the Valkyries collapsed into various seats around the kitchen. "That's one way to start a morning" he said with a grin. There were a few smiles from around the room. And then the room exploded.

8888

Alarms blared from the Yggdrasil control room as the two young administrators, Ere and Ex, worked to determine the problem.

"What happened?" Anzus cried, floating down from her seat high above.

"There appears to have been attack on the Valkyrie barracks" said Ex. "Massive damage with confirmed casualties although no word on how many or how severe".

"What caused the attack?" asked Anzus.

"Unknown" said Ere. "Reports are sketchy but basically, it appears to be a single, large, airborne attacker, possibly a dragon".

"A dragon?!" Anzus shouted leaning forward and inspecting the console. "How the Hell did a dragon get through our defences?"

"Unknown my Lady" said Ere. Just then a message came babbling through the load-stone radio system that Heaven used in the event of emergencies.

"Yggdrasil system control, come in! I repeat, come in! This is Captain Lind!" Anzus thumped the set and up the speaker.

"This is Anzus" she said. "It's good to know you're alive Lind. Now, what's going on out there? We're blind in here!"

"My Ladyship, there has been a massive attack on three of the seven Valkyrie barracks. Many injured with a number critical, KIA unknown. The Paladin and I are fine though; we're mustering as many combat capable Valkyrie as possible and are preparing to set up defensive cordons around all high value assets. We are personally leading a group of combat specialist to the central palace in order to coordinate defence with the Praetorians there while Belldandy gathers as many auxiliaries as she can".

"Very well Captain, but who is attacking? We're getting intermittent reports of a possible dragon but-"

"It's Gandamak" Lind said simply and the blood of all three ran cold. Gandamak or Heaven's Bane was the most powerful of the ancient dragons, more powerful than any single deity; even above the strength of the Almighty. If he was truly loose in Heaven….

"Copy that Lind; don't let that dragon reach the palace. You must protect both the Almighty and Yggdrasil at all costs!"

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Belldandy lead the group towards the burning barracks, running as fast as she could. She daren't use magic to get there or fly, for fear of attracting the attention of Gandamak. Urd and Peorth were close behind her with Keiichi trailing at the rear, trying to tug on his jacket as he ran. As they approached the barracks, there was a noise like a sudden hurricane and then a bellowing, screeching roar.

"Get down!" she shouted and they all dove for the deck as the dragon skimmed low over their heads and belched out another fireball, reducing a third building to rubble. Gandamak was truly horrifying; a hundred foot long nightmare with four huge wings, each fifty feet across. It had ten legs, each tipped with seven toes on each foot, each with claws the length and sharpness of Jago's khukuri. It's head was truly grotesque though; a long, tooth filled snout with tusks growing down from the corners of its mouth and a single, solitary eye perched on a stalk in the centre of its forehead, glaring around it as the beast swept by.

"What the Hell was that?" Keiichi gasped, staggering to his feet.

"Gandamak!" said Urd. "A dragon of impossible power!"

"Well what's it doing here?" he asked desperately.

"Right now, that doesn't matter; there are people to save!" she pointed forward to the burning barracks, where they could already see crowds of goddesses already working to extinguish the flames.

"Quickly, we need two more on that blaze!" a Valkyrie shouted, directing a pair of nearby goddesses towards a burning ruin.

"Hey, we here to help!" Peorth said, stepping up to the Valkyrie.

"Good" she said and pointed towards one of the burning buildings. "There are still people trapped inside that ruin! We need someone to help put out that blaze or-" but she was cut off as a wave of pure cold erupted from the building, instantly extinguishing the fire. Out of the smoke came Jago and Lind, working together to cool the fire until it extinguished itself. They both looked worn and Jago had lost his hat but otherwise, they were ok.

"Now that… was bad" Jago said.

"Jago! Lind! You're alright!" Belldandy said.

"Yeah, we're good" said Lind, brushing some soot off of her uniform. "That dragon really took us by surprise though". She stopped and looked around the courtyard, then glanced up at the sky, spotting the dragon weaving amongst a group of distant towers. "Belldandy, do you have a loadstone radio?" she asked. Belldandy nodded and handed it to her so that Lind could make her report to Lady Anzus. She then handed it back and turned to the others. "Ok, we need to organise a defence" she said. "Jago and I will take a unit of Valkyries and try and secure the central palace; stop the dragon from getting in. Belldandy, I need you and Peorth to gather as many auxiliaries as you can and bring them to us there. With luck, we MIGHT be able to stop him before he can get in". The two goddesses nodded. "Urd, you stay here and help get the fire under control, tend the wounded. Once that's done, send word to Heimdall; he's the only one who can face down that dragon and hope to survive". Urd nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"You can count on me" she said.

"What about me?" Keiichi said. "What can I do?"

"I'm sorry Keiichi" Lind said, "but this is way out of your league. Gandamak is by far the mightiest being in the known world; he makes the Ultimate Destruction Program look like a toy!"

"But-"

"I'm sorry Keiichi but Lind's right" said Belldandy. "it's too dangerous for any human other than Jago to go near that dragon. He's even resistant to magic so the only way we can defeat him is to fight him up close". Jago's head jerked up.

"How resistant to magic?" he asked.

"No known spell can penetrate Gandamak's hide" said Lind. "He's just too powerful". Jago nodded.

"I see. In that case, I have something that Keiichi CAN do" He stepped forward and in one swift move, he thumped Keiichi in the stomach, causing the assembled goddesses to gasp. "Hold on boy" he muttered and Keiichi gasped for air as suddenly, Damascus sprouted from his back.

"Wah?" he said, almost collapsing.

"What are you doing Master!?" the Devil shouted.

"I'm keeping you safe" Jago said. "Keiichi is almost no threat to the dragon and as such, he's unlikely to come after him and while you're powerful, your magic won't be much good against a magic resistant monster. So I want you to do is keep Keiichi safe, alright lass?" Damascus looked heartbroken but she nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Yes Master" she said.

"And you" he said to Keiichi. "You keep her safe too. I want to come back and find her in one piece, alright?" Keiichi didn't have the energy to speak, he just nodded. Jago then turned to the assembled goddesses. "Right then, Lind has the plan I suggest that we follow- oh!" he said and stopped, bending and scooping up his hat as it blew across the courtyard. "Hah! It survived" he said. "Right, let's go slay a dragon!" With that, they all headed off, leaving Keiichi and Damascus standing. Keiichi sighed.

"Damascus, are we useless?" Damascus snorted.

"You may be but I'm not!" she said. "Now come one! My master and your Belldandy are going to need our help whether they admit it or not!"

"But Jago told us to stay here. Aren't you supposed to follow his orders, no matter what?"

"Yes" said Damascus. "But at the moment YOU are my Master". She gave this a second to sink in and then raised an eyebrow. "Well?" Keiichi grinned.

"I like the way you think!"

8888

High in the towers of the central palace, Deaderuss looked down upon the unfolding chaos, smiling with glee. Gandamak's appearance had left the Valkyries in scattered and disorganised, many injured or worse. As planned however, both Lind and Jago had survived the first attack and were currently leading a Valkyrie team in setting up a defence line just inside the palace walls, hoping to protect the Almighty, the visiting heads of state and Yggdrasil from the beast. Fools. The central palace was a diversion; they would be killed in the defence of the palace, an unfortunate loss in the ultimate defence the realm. He sniggered to himself as the dragon landed with an earth-shaking thump and slowly began to crawl towards the gates. This was going to be fun to see!

8888

The gates boomed as the dragon struck them, sending the sound resonating throughout the palace. The gates were tough; meteoric iron forged by dwarf smiths and bound by near indestructible spells including several Aegis shields. However, it would only be a matter of time before the dragon broke through. Jago and Lind stood shoulder to shoulder, her with her halberd and him with his hittin stick and his claymore. Beside them stood a full cohort's worth of Valkyries. A thousand warriors, ready to do or die trying.

"Hold frim!" said Lind as the gates resonated to another almighty crash. "You are Valkyries and this is what you are trained for! If we must die today then we shall die with honour!" Jago grinned and casually spun his sword in his hand. He glanced to his right at a young Valkyrie, one who had only just been made up from Trainee to Recruit. From the look on her face, it was clear that she was scared.

"Nervous?" he asked. She nodded, not speaking. "Me too" he said. "Then again, I suppose we should be. Anyone who says they aren't afraid of dying is either lying or a Ghurkha". The recruit's expression didn't change but she did nod. Jago sighed. "Don't worry; you stick with me, you be alright". At this, the recruit smiled a little and she nodded again.

"If you say so" she said but then she balked a little as the gates began to buckle. Several other Valkyries took a step backward.

"STEADY!" Jago called out. "Steady now! We can take this bastard!"

"I think you're wrong" said Lind in a whisper. "I think most of us are going to die today". Jago nodded.

"True" he whispered back, "but we gotta keep the spirits up. They all know they're gonna get their arses handed to them by a big fugly dragon; there's no need to rub it in". Lind nodded as the gates bent in more, straining not to shatter.

"What does fugly mean?" she asked.

"Fuck ugly" said Jago. And the gates exploded.

8888

With a roar like the end of time, Gandamak burst through the gates and into the foyer, belching great gouts of fire and sending huge lumps of masonry flying through their ranks. Somewhere, a Valkyrie screamed and the dragon surged forward, knocking the warriors flying. There was nothing they could do; Gandamak was too big, too fast and too powerful. All that they could do was run. Jago watched as a foolish Valkyrie tried to block the dragon's path, jabbing upwards with her long spear, only to be crushed under one of the beast's many feet. Lind meanwhile was knocked sprawling and she rolled to the side to prevent herself from being trodden on. Jago rushed past her and with a roar, he struck the dragon on the thigh with his sword. It shattered. Jago blinked as the hard steel shards whirred past his head, embedding themselves in the wall.

"My sword" he said in a daze and then the dragon's tail whipped around, a retractable axe-like blade catching Jago full in the chest.

"JAGO!" Lind screamed as he went down and she raced to his side as his blood spilled across the floor, turning her uniform red as she knelt beside her wounded lover.

"I'm fine" he said through gritted teeth. Meanwhile, the dragon continued to surge forward, mopping up the last few Valkyries as he went before rearing up to punch through to the next floor. "Get after him" Jago said. "I'll be alright, just stop that dragon!"

"Shut up Jago!" she said. "Not until I've sealed this wound!" She pulled off her shirt and pressed it against his chest to staunch the bleeding and then began to summon her magic to heal him. Jago however grasped her wrists and pushed her hands back.

"Listen Lind" he said. "I'm fine, alright! Just a scratch! But that dragon has got to be causing all kinds of merry Hell in there; unless I've missed my guess, he'll be going for the Almighty. I'm disposable; he's not! Now stop Gandamak!" Lind shook her head and forced her hands back against his chest, a grim look on her face.

"NO! YOU LISTEN!" she said. "He's severed your aorta and unless I stop the bleeding, you'll be dead in less than a minute! I'm not losing you Jago!" she said, tears running down her face. "I don't want you to die Jago… I-I love you! I don't want to lose you!" At that moment, Lamb appeared beside them.

"You help Master" she said simply. "I'll try and slow Gandamak down". Before either of them could say anything, Lamb had gone rocketing off in pursuit of the dragon. Lind turned back to Jago and paled as she realised that he was unconscious from loss of blood. Summoning all of her strength, she poured her healing magic into him and allowing her power to speed his healing. Blood, bone, sinew and muscle all reknit themselves and she felt a surge of relief when she pressed a still sticky hand against his chin and felt a pulse there once more. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

"You stupid fool" she whispered. "Why did you attack that thing alone? But maybe that's why I love you so much; you're so much like me". She gave a little jump as someone put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lind? Are you alright?" Keiichi asked.

"WHAT HAPPENE D TO MATSER!?" Damascus hauled Lind aside and crouched beside Jago, checking him with her hands.

"He tried to fight attack Gandamak but… the dragon was too powerful. He broke his sword and dragon cut one of his arteries". Damascus nodded and continued her checks until she was satisfied that Jago was going to be fine.

"He's going to have a scar but otherwise, you've probably saved Master's life. Thank you Lind". She then paused and looked around. "Where's that _flutterbird_ of an angel?" she asked.

"Lamb? She went after Gandamak".

"ON HER OWN?" said Damascus, looking horrified. "Lind go after her! Keiichi and I will follow you soon". Lind nodded and headed off in the direction that Gandamak had gone.

"What are you doing Damascus?" Keiichi asked.

"Lind said that Jago's swords broke on Gandamak's scales so I guessing that normal weapons aren't going to be able to hurt him. This means we need something a bit more… powerful".

"Like what?"

"Ever-sharpness".

8888

Weth heard screaming coming from the corridors and she smiled; Deaderuss's plan was in action and from the sound of things, Gandamak was owning arse. In fact, it seemed likely that she wouldn't even have to perform her duties as a spy after all as the Paladin would soon be dead. She chuckled to herself and continued to smile. Then there was a crunch. And another. And another. And then a boom. With a roar, Gandamak punched through the floor in front of her and landed in the corridor. It glared around with its huge, bulging eye and hissed. The dragon roared again and swept the girl aside, before slithering down the corridor and crashed through the door at the far end. A few seconds later, Astrakhan Lamb ascended through the hole the dragon had left in the floor and landed lightly in the middle of the floor.

"Excuse me" she asked, "but did a big, ugly dragon come through here just now?" Weth, still stunned from Gandamak's sudden arrival, pointed in the direction that he had gone. "Thank you!" Lamb said and disappeared around the corner. A second later, she stuck her head back around the frame. "By the way" she said, "my Master never got chance to ask your name". Weth was silent for a second and then, still in a daze, she replied;

"They call me Weth" she said. Lamb nodded.

"Nice to meet you Weth. Now RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" She laughed and headed after Gandamak once more. "Hmm, I'm getting more like Master all the time".

8888

The Almighty One listened to the boom of the approaching footsteps, as Gandamak made his steady was through the various levels of the palace. The noise was getting closer and he knew it would only be a matter of time before the dragon arrived. He sighed as a crash indicated the beast's arrival on the final floor and he set his pen down. Now all that stood between the two of them was two doors and the seven Praetorians who constituted his personal bodyguard. The Almighty slowly made his way across the room to where his huge hammer, Mjolnir, was hung. As he hefted the weapon, he heard one of the far doors crack and the battle cry of the Praetorians as they charged against the enraged dragon. And as he made his way back to the desk, he heard the Praetorians defeat. He calmly sat down once more, steepleing his fingers and laying his hammer across his desk. And with a bang, the final doors shattered. The Almighty One sat unmoved as splinters of wood whirred across the room and then the dragon's head entered the room. A small smile played across the Almighty's lips.

"Greeting's Gandamak" he said. "It has been far too long". The dragon nodded and then HE spoke.

"Lord Tyr" he said in a deep rumble. "Indeed. We have not seen each other for many a year".

"If I may ask, how did you escape the prison of Ginnungagap? Surely, the Gleaners must have tried to stop you?" Gandamak's single eye blinked slowly.

"I did not escape. I was released".

"I see" said the Almighty. "So it seems that the traitor amongst us is still at work".

"So it would seem" said the dragon. "And now, I believe that we have some unfinished business between us. I believe that I promised to EAT you if we ever met again".

"And I promised to send you back to black pit from whence you came". The dragon smiled. And when a dragon smiles, it means you're fucked; the teeth are generally enough of a hint. "I should warn you however, that if you kill me the Paladin will hunt you down. And he is more powerful than anyone I have ever encountered".

"The Paladin? That foolish human with two Archs? He is already dead. YOU were never meant to be the primary target; I was sent here to kill him". The Almighty sat quietly as he pondered this news.

"I see" he said. "In that case, I suppose that we have nothing left to discuss". And with that the two of them attacked each other; the dragon rearing and attempting to bite down on Lord Tyr, while the Almighty One leapt across the desk and swung his hammer…

"Mister Jago? Mister Jago?" Jago groaned and open his eyes.

"Hey Bell" he said to the goddess a she pushed himself up, onto his elbows and then gasped at the searing pain that flared in his chest.

"Mister Jago! Please, you must rest! Gandamak almost killed!" Jago grimaced and looked down at his blood stained torso.

"Bloody Hell! What happened?"

"Gandamak caught you with his tail blade and almost cut your heart out. If it hadn't been for Lind-"

"Where is Lind?" he asked.

"She went off to fight the dragon. Damascus-"

"Shit!" Jago shouted and pulled himself to his feet. "_Lamb, where are you?"_

_"Kind of busy Master!" _she replied. Jago ignored her.

_"Where are you? Where's Lind?"_

_"We're both here and getting our arses handed to us! Now let me fight!" _

_"_Fuck" muttered Jago. "_Damascus, how soon can you get here?"_

_"I'm already on my way up to help Lamb" _said the Devil.

_"You what! I thought I told you to look after-"_

_"Keiichi is with me. We've got a weapon that might be able to kill the dragon but we need to hurry or we're not going to get there in time!" _Jago was quiet for a second.

"_Right, I'm on my way"_ he said.

"_No Master, you stay there. You're too badly hurt to fight"._

_"We'll see"._ Jago turned to Belldandy. "Bell, how quickly can we get up there?"

"But Jago, you can't possibly fight in your condition! You'll-"

"Belldandy" Jago said softly. "Lind, Lamb and my baby are all in danger. And so is Keiichi".

"Keiichi? But isn't he-".

"Damascus says that they have something that might be able to kill Gandamak. Chances are though, that they're both going to get killed. Now are you going to help me or not?" Belldandy didn't say anything; her eyes turned purple and she began to crackle with energy. "I'll take that as a yes" said Jago.

Lind ducked under the dragon's scything tale only to be caught by one of the huge wing claws and flung against the wall. Meanwhile, Lamb in her full Prime form leapt forward and brought her huge buster blade down on the dragons hide only for it to skitter down the hard scales is a hail of sparks. The dragon roared and raised a leg to swat her aside, sending her crashing into the ground next to Lind.

"He's too strong!" Lamb said, reverting back to her standard form but retaining her buster sword. "I can't even scratch this bastard!" Lind nodded and struggled to her feet, using her halberd as support.

"We to keep trying" she said. "For the Almighty". The Almighty in question was in a bad way; he had been badly burned and had a long, tearing laceration down one side. He was alive but he needed help. But no help would come while that dragon was still here. Gandamak spun himself to face them and let fly with a gout of white-hot fire. Lamb leapt up and using her wings, she started drawing energy from the surroundings, creating an Aegis around her and Lind. The heat was phenomenal and she could feel the palms of her hands begins to blister through the shield.

"OH SHIIIIIIT!" she said as the shield began to crack under her hands. She poured her entire strength into it but even when using her wings as a power booster, she was unable to hold back the wave of fire.

"LAMB! HANG ON!" Lind shouted and she put her own hands against the shield, using three of her six boosters to supplement her strength. With that, the shield held but they knew that it would only be a few seconds before the dragon broke through. It was then they heard the most unexpected of voices: Keiichi's. He came roaring down the corridor, carrying a sword, with Damascus close behind him. The dragon didn't even seem to register him, not until he hit the beasts on the leg with the sword. To their surprise, the blade bit deeply into the dragon's hide and a jet of dark blood shot forth. Gandamak roared in pain and outrage and swung around to face this new threat, thereby allowing Lamb and Lind to lower the Aegis. The dragon snapped at Keiichi but Damascus grasped him by his shoulders, lifting him clear of the snapping jaws and then depositing them next to the others.

"Keiichi? What are you doing here?" said Lamb.

"Damascus thought that you could use some help" he said. "Looks like she was right".

"Where did you get that sword?" Lind asked, eyeing the glowing blue edge of the weapon.

"It's Jago's ever-sharp blade" said Keiichi. "We thought that-"but before he could say anything else, the dragon's huge tail slammed down between them and then swept Lind aside. Keiichi swung his sword again, clumsily hacking at the dragon's tail. The dragon roared in pain as the blade bit deep and turned again, this time trying to crush them against the wall. Damascus quickly formed an Aegis and blocked the tail as the dragon reared and tried to attack Lamb only to be blocked by Lind who jabbed her blade at the creature's eye. Keiichi raced forward again and this time sliced at one of Gandamak's wings, tearing the thick membrane. The dragon swivelled once more and Keiichi stared in horror at the massive single eye that glared down at them and was forced to step aside as the huge jaws came snapping down, missing them by inches.

"The neck Keiichi!" Damascus shouted. "The neck!" Keiichi did as he was told and brought the blade hard down on the neck of the dragon. Gandamak roared in pain but Keiichi chopped down again and again, hacking through the hard muscle until, with a crack, Gandamak's head was sliced clean off his neck. The body reared, blood spurting from the severed stump and then it toppled over backwards, writhing and shaking as Keiichi stared down at the severed head.

"My God" he whispered. "Did I really just slay the dragon?" he asked.

"Keiichi!" Lind said as she and Lamb hurried over. "My God! You defeated Gandamak!" Lamb stopped next to him and clasped him on the shoulder.

"I'm impressed" she said. "That thing was more powerful than I am and you killed it with a sword!" Keiichi blushed and shrugged.

"Nah, it was nothing. I mean, without Damascus here, I never would have known how to-"

"You've just made things worse!" They all turned to see the Almighty One staggering to his feet. "You may think you've killed him but chopping off Gandamak's head was the worst thing you could have done!" He staggered slightly and Lind caught him.

"What do you mean my Lord? Keiichi's killed-"

"Gandamak is a hydra!" said Lord Tyr. "If you cut off his head then two will grow back!" As if on cue, the dragon's body began to move and writhe until suddenly, the neck split down the middle, creating a pair and from each shot a huge, snarling head. They snapped at each other for a second and then with a malignant slowness, they turned towards them.

"Hey Keiichi? Well I'm not so sure… But I think we fucked it up once more" said Damascus. With that, the dragon roared and lurched forward, charging Keiichi and Damascus. There was no time to defend themselves, all they could do was try and doge the massive beast as it struck home. Lamb was knocked aside as she tried to form a shield while Lind and the Almighty were almost crushed but the dragon had a different target in mind: Keiichi and his sword. Damascus tried to save him, lifting him high into the air and trying to carry him to safety but as she did so, one head rammed her as the other snapped closed around Keiichi's torso.

"KEIICHI!" Lamb shouted and she shoulder barged the dragon's head, knocking the man free of the monster's jaws.

"CONCUSIVE BLAST!" Damascus shouted and a wave on condensed air smacked into the dragon, sending it back across the room as Lamb scooped Keiichi from the floor. He was in a bad way; bleeding heavily from a series of deep punctures all across his torso.

"Hey Lamb" he whispered. "I think I cocked up". Lamb didn't say anything, just carried him to the door. Damascus meanwhile remained standing, charging another attack.

"We need to get out of here" said Lamb. "Damascus, can you cover us?" Damascus paused in her build-up and thought as the dragon began to pull itself free of the rubble.

"I might be able to hold him back for a little while" she said. "But I think we're going to need Jupiter for this". Both Lamb and Lind looked horrified but before they could say anything, Damascus explained; "Jupiter is the only one who even comes close to this level of power. Tell Master that if we're to beat this thing, we're going to need him to fight as Jupiter, no matter how bad that may be". She then tossed the sword to them and then turned back to the dragon who had now successfully extracted itself from the rubble.

"But Damascus, how can you fight something like that?" Lind said. "Dragons are pretty much magic-proof".

"Lamb isn't the only one who can go Prime" said Damascus. "Now go!"

8888

They met Jago and Belldandy about half way down the building, coming the other way.

"OH MY GOD! KEIICHI!" said Belldandy, taking him from Lamb's arms. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?"

"He attacked Gandamak with a sword but we didn't know he was a hydra until it was too late" said Lind. "But we can't treat him here". Belldandy paused and nodded and turned to head back outside, followed by Lind who was still supporting the Almighty. Jago caught Lamb by the arm as she went past and looked hard at her.

"Lamb…" he said, panting, "Where's Damascus?" Lamb looked guiltily back the way they had come.

"She's giving us time to escape" she said. "She went Prime and said she would hold back Gandamak long enough for you to use Jupiter. We know you don't want to use him but I don't think we have much choice". Jago paused and nodded.

"I hope you're not right but I think you might be". Then they heard a terrible sound: the belching roar of the Gandamak mixed with something that sounded like an organic trumpet.

"I think Damascus has gone Prime…" said Lamb with a note of fear. "God help us all…"

8888

Gandamak stood silently glaring down at Damascus, eyeing her respectfully.

"Nightmare" he said. "I thought I sensed your presence attached to that human but I never thought that the mightiest of Archdevils would be attached to one so weak". Damascus grunted.

"Yes Gandamak, it has been too long. I can remember when we last met; the day that St George challenged your brother, Tobruk". Gandamak snarled.

"Do not mention that that vile human, _harpy _or your death will be anything but quick". Damascus snorted.

"Try me Gandamak" she said. "I will gladly show you my power if it would save those who you seek to harm". The dragon leaned close to Damascus and snarled.

"How do you plan to fight me, _hobgoblin?"_ he hissed as Damascus stiffened at the insult. "Your magic will not be able to harm me and without that sword that you foolishly gave to that angel, you have nothing that can penetrate my scales".

"I have one thing" Damascus said. "My Prime form". Gandamak snickered.

"Prime form? Like that _flutterbird _attempted to use on me? Getting bigger just means that there is more of you to hit". Damascus grinned.

"True… But I'm also a lot nastier" she said and then she changed. Unlike Lamb's transformation though, her Prime form was truly horrifying. She grew in size until she was about half the size of Gandamak and her great wings spread wide as her body rippled with deep red fur. Her arms and legs bulged, long claws growing from the fingers and toes as her body changed to resemble an enormous lion. A long, scorpion like tail reared behind her and a pair of curled ram's horns sprouted from her brow. Her hair became a mane. Her face stayed the same but now, her mouth split to reveal three sets of knife like teeth, a snakelike tongue darting between them. "Now this is my fighting form" she said. "There is a reason that the Nightmares were once known as Manticores. I AM THAT REASON!" And she roared with the sound like an organic trumpet, charging Gandamak, ramming him and bowling them both over…. And sending them both crashing out of the window, down towards the ground.

8888

Jago watched in horror as Gandamak and Damascus tumbled towards the Earth, clawing, biting and slashing at each other. Gandamak was larger than Damascus and with two heads, he could launch more attacks but Damascus was faster and her manticore form was much faster than her opponent. Her hard claws tore into his thick scales, leaving bloody trails as they went while her fangs sank deep into one of Gandamak's necks. The dragon roared in pain and fought back, sinking his teeth intone of her wings, causing her to roar in turn and then jab hard at the dragon's face with her stinger. She struck home and then struck again with her tail, repeatedly jabbing at Gandamak's face. So preoccupied was she with her attack that neither of them registered the ground until it was too late. The impact was horrendous, sending out huge shockwaves and a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared however, they were already back to fighting. Now though, Damascus had lost the element of surprise and was getting royally screwed. She was fast but she was no-where near as strong as Gandamak and now, she was paying for it. The dragon pinned her under his feet and set about biting at her, as she clawed desperately at his legs and then raised her stinger to strike him again. Gandamak saw the attack coming though and caught her tail under one of his feet. Damascus hissed up at him and he grinned. And then with a single move, he reached down with his great jaws and tore off her tail. Damascus shrieked in agony and writhed as the dragon tossed her severed tail aside and he grinned down at her.

"I win Nightmare" he said.

"I don't think so". They both turned to see Jago stood beside them, hat down over his eyes. He was pale and his front was stained in blood. But there was something off about him. "You release the devil now" he said and Gandamak sniggered.

"And why would I do that?" he said. Jago raised his hat. But it wasn't Jago's eyes. They were Jupiter's.

"Because now, I'm going to kill you". Then he realised Jupiter's power. A wave of energy surged through him and Gandamak hissed as he sensed it: a colossal wall of dark power, far greater than anything he had ever sensed before.

"But how can this be possible? I killed you! And how can a human have so much power?" Jupiter grinned.

"Don't know, don't care. Just gonna kill you". He leapt forward…

8888

With an almighty crash, something slammed into Gandamak from above, sending both Jupiter and Damascus flying across the area. He shock was enough to force Jupiter back into hiding, bringing Jago to the fore once more. All was silent for a second but slowly, Gandamak pulled himself to his feet. He hissed to himself and then spread his wings. And he disappeared. Jago stood next and glanced around the area, unsure as to what had just happened. Spotting Damascus however, he quickly made his way over to her.

"Hey lass, you dead?" Damascus snarled.

"Yah man" she said and reverted back to her normal form as the sound of footsteps approached.

"So… you're a manticore?" Jago asked. Damascus nodded.

"Yep. Or at least while I'm Prime". She then gasped as she rubbed one of her wounds, feeling a thin trickle of blood.

"Bloody Hell" Jago said and he stooped to check her. "You look like you've been through the wars".

"Not funny" she said. "At least my tail will, grow back… eventually".

"Well that's a relief" Jago said.

"Are you two alright?" They both turned to see Lind approaching them. Jago and Damascus both looked at each other and nodded. "Oh, thank god" she said. "Jago, we need your help!"

"What's up?"

"Keiichi's dying!"

8888

Damascus and Jago stooped over Keiichi as he lay on the ground, breathing shallowly. Belldandy was beside him, tears rolling down her face.

"You've got to help him!" she said desperately. "He's got dragon venom in his veins are there's no time to concoct an anti-venom! I know you and Damascus are tired but I don't have the magic to heal him and the Almighty has already been taken by the medics. Damascus nodded and she leaned forward, muttering a healing spell. Jago meanwhile provided his energy for her to work, she having used so much of her own. And as they worked, they talked mentally.

"_How's he looking?" _Jago asked.

_"He'll be fine" _Damascus said.

"добро"said Jago. Then he paused. _"Damascus, I was just thinking, how long have Keiichi and Bell been together? Four years?"_ Damascus nodded. _"Well don't you think this is a good time for them to go that final step? I mean, he's just been through Hell so what give him some Heaven?" _Damascus laughed inwardly.

"_You sly bastard! I like it!"_ Jago nodded. At this point Keiichi spoke.

"How's it looking?" he whispered.

"Not good" said Damascus.

"You mean I'm gonna die?" Damascus nodded.

"Looks that way" she said. At this, Belldandy cried out.

"WHAT! NO! KEIICHI NO!" She threw herself around him and hugged him. "HE CAN'T DIE! HE'S MY KEIICHI! HE CAN'T DIE!" Damascus shook her head sadly but then gave Belldandy a wink. Belldandy wrinkled her brow not understanding but Keiichi then spoke again.

"It's ok Bell" he said softly. "You've given me the best four years of my life and I'm grateful to you. If I had never made that phone-call to you then we never would have met. And believe me my love, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I am a better man for having met you Belldandy. My only regret is that I was never able to ask you to marry me". Belldandy gave a sad smile and kissed with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Keiichi, I'm sorry" she said. "I'm so sorry!" Then Jago cleared his throat.

"Well maybe there's something I can do?" he asked. "I can perform a marriage service if you so wish. It'll be a bit of a shotgun wedding but if you so wish…" Keiichi looked across at him and Belldandy's eyes went wide.

"You can really do that?" she asked. Jago nodded.

"I'm a voodoo priest and as Paladin, I should have the authority to make it binding. So if you're willing?" Belldandy turned towards Keiichi, her eye's imploring and Keiichi nodded.

"Marry us" he said. Jago nodded and glanced around.

"Lind, would you be willing to act as witness?" Lind nodded and she stepped forward, kneeling beside them. Lamb knelt beside them smiled, knowing what Jago was planning. "Dearly beloved" Jago began, "We are gathered here today in order to see this man and this goddess joined in holy matrimony. Do you Keiichi Morisato, take this goddess Belldandy-" he stopped. "I'm sorry, I don't know your last name". Belldandy blushed.

"Anzus-daughter" she said. Jago nodded and returned to the service.

"Keiichi, do you take Belldandy to be you lawfully wedded wife?" Keiichi nodded.

"I do" he whispered. Jago grinned.

"Belldandy Anzus-daughter, do you take this man to be your husband?" Belldandy nodded and smiled, tears in her eyes.

"I do. I truly do". Jago grinned.

"In that case, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife". He clapped his hand to Keiichi's shoulder and smiled. "Now get up you daft sod and kiss your bloody wife! You're making the place look untidy!" Keiichi looked stunned.

"But what about my-"

"Fixed!" said Damascus. "Simple really!" Keiichi and Belldandy both turned an accusing gaze on Jago.

"You said I was going to die!"

"Aye, you probably are" Jago said. "You just failed to state whether it would be HERE and NOW you would die, it which case I would have said no". Belldandy's face twitched and then she slapped him.

"You bastard!" she said.

"Aye that I am" said Jago. "But I thought that after four years, you two should finally make it official". Belldandy blushed but then realised what Jago had just done for them and smiled.

"I can't say I agree with your methods but thank you". Jago grinned.

"Well are you going to kiss him or not?" he asked. Before he had even finished uttering the sentence however, Belldandy had already leaned forward and started kissing Keiichi, lovingly and passionately. Jago snorted and stood as Lind chuckled.

"I would love to see Urd's face when she sees this" she whispered to Jago. "You've achieved more for these tow in one fell swoop than she and Peorth managed in four years!" Jago snorted.

"Never mind them, just think what Skuld is going to do to me when she finds out I married off her big sister?" Lind snorted and they both sighed. "I suppose this means that at some point I should marry you" Jago said to Lind. Lind glanced up at him.

"Who says I'd have you?" she said, gently holding his arm. Jago gave a short laugh and they both smiled. But then Jago's face turned serious. "Now then, back to reality; what the Hell happened to the dragon? What was it that dropped on me?" Lind's face also went serious as she thought about it.

"There's only one thing I can think of" she said. "Someone must have fired Gungnir".

**Authors Note: sorry that it's been a while since my last chapter. Hope you like this one!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Preparations**

As soon as the Almighty had returned from the healers, he had called an emergency meeting of the High Council: the head of state and the military leaders for each race. As Paladin, Jago was also required to be there although he was alone as he had yet to appoint First Deputy. Currently, he was seated beside Lord Sukaru, who was acting as temporary Military Attaché for the Earth spirit delegation, across from Hild and a moody looking demonic Praetorian known as Angrboða, listening as they discussed their next move: how to deal with Gandamak.

"We must attack at once!" demanded a hot-headed elf. "If we strike now, with a large enough force, we should be able to overwhelm that dragon!"

"Spoken like a true elf!" sneered a Lorelei, her gills flapping wetly. "Gandamak has fled to Jötunheim! To send anything but a full allied battalion would be utter suicide in such a place!"

"Not to mention that relations with the Jötunns are at an all-time low" voiced someone else. "We are more likely to prompt an invasion than anything else and that's before we get anywhere near the dragon! No, what we need to do is…" Jago sighed to himself as the argument raged back and forth, causing Lord Sukaru to grin.

"Tired?" he asked and Jago nodded.

"Bloody shattered mate" he said.

"I heard that dragon really gave you a beating".

"Well you heard right. Lamb and Damascus aren't in a much better state either". Jeiko smiled in sympathy.

"… would the Paladin suggest?" someone said, jerking Jago back to attention.

"I'm sorry?" he asked sheepishly, turning towards Lord Deaderuss.

"I said, what would you recommend? You are the Paladin after all so it should be up to you how we respond". He paused and sneered. "Or is this too taxing for you?" Jago ignored the insulted and scratched his head, thinking.

"No idea" he said. "I'm fairly new at this so I don't yet know enough about our adversaries to make any informed decisions". He paused and scratched his chin. "Tell me about these Jötunns" he said. "I've heard them mentioned from time to time but I've never met one before". There was a pause before Angrboða spoke up.

"The Jötunns or giants, are a species of magically based creature that inhabit the frozen world of Jötunheim" she said. "They come in three forms; the stone giants, who are mostly harmless cave dwellers, avalanche giants or Frost-fiends who are powerful but rare and the frost giants". Jago nodded.

"With you so far" he said. "So why are they so scary?"

"Back when the Titans ruled, the Jötunns were their principle slave-race of choice. Despite this, when we rebelled against the Titans, the giants sided with them and while they were beaten and sealed in Jötunheim, they have remained hostile. They're cannibals and will eat any living thing that they come across, although they prefer the flesh of others to their own kind".

"Of course they do" said Jago to himself. "I'm guessing that they're probably tribal? Strongest rules; that sort of thing?" Angrboða nodded.

"Strongest and smartest. Their size depends on their social rank within their clan with bigger ones being larger and more powerful".

"How big? And what about their powers? Do they have any magic? And what about their weapons?"

"Well, low ranking giants are fairly small; I would say… six to seven foot, with a high ranker being closer to fifteen. Some of the Jötunn kings are much bigger though… maybe as much as twenty-five foot tall. In form, they resemble bulky, blue skinned humans with red eyes and sharp teeth although they are less strong than a comparatively sized human would be. As to their magic, they have none. Well, they may have a few who know some basic ice or water spells but nothing that would be a threat to anyone more than a third-class deity". Jago nodded, absorbing the information.

"And weapons?" Angrboða shrugged.

"Mostly bone knives. A few carry simple crossbows and some others have learnt to change their forearms into sharpened blades but other than that…"

"Hmm" said Jago said. "You say that they're less strong than a human of a similar size?"

"Yes but you have to remember that many of them dwarf humans meaning that they are much more powerful. And what they lack in strength, they make up for in numbers; the forces of Jötunheim easily outnumber all of the humans on Earth". Jago whistled through his teeth and scratched his chin, thinking.

"So we need to get a large force in their stealthily?" he asked. "What about a HALO jump?" There were confused looks from around the table.

"What do you mean?" asked an elderly Machiner. "This is no time for video games".

"High Altitude Low Opening parachute jump" said Jago. "Used by Special Forces to get into hot zones undetected".

"Sounds intriguing" someone said. "Please explain".

"It's simple really" Jago said. "From what I understand, the Jötunns have no air force and no means of shooting down a plane so it would be fairly safe for us to use the Tanngrisnir for a raid. Basically, we load a precision strike team on board and we fly in at high altitude, using clouds for cover and then the strike team jumps out the plane, free-falls until the last possible moment and then pulls cutes at low altitude to avoid detection. From there, we could precede on foot, track the dragon down to its lair and chop the bloody thing to pieces". He wrinkled his brow in thought and clicked his tongue. "The team would have to be small if we were to avoid being discovered while we were there and getting out could be tricky but if I were given time-"

"Absolutely not!" They all turned to Lord Deaderuss. "That would be a colossal waste of time and energy, with almost no chance of it actually succeeding. Not to mention the fact that no team that small would be able to challenge the dragon!"

"You got me haven't you?" Jago asked.

"You?" sneered Deaderuss. "You proved just as ineffective as the rest of them when it came to stopping Gandamak! What good would you do?"

"Well you weren't exactly much help either" Jago said. "Where the Hell were you and the Praetorians anyway? If you had actually helped rather than hiding then we might have been able to stop that thing BEFORE it got inside!" Deaderuss looked furious.

"I had to ensure the safety of the Yggdrasil mechanisms-"

"And a fine mess you made of that! Half the bloody system has been crippled and the rest is running on emergency settings only! If that's not a monumental cock-up then I don't know what is! Not to mention that bloody orbital gun you dropped on my head!"

"I took the only reasonable action that I thought would be appropriate at the time!" said Deaderuss, going red with rage. "I weighed the risks either the possibility of killing you against the certainty of that dragon doing so and continuing its rampage!" Jago snorted through his nose.

"What rot! If you had actually let Jupiter get to grips with that thing then-"

"ENOGUH!" The room echoed with the sound of the sound of Hild's voice as she stood, red with rage. "This is no time to argue about who did what! Right now, we need to consider what needs to be done about this dragon, not argue amongst ourselves!" Jago nodded and returned to his seat.

"My apologies Lady Hild. And to you my Lord; I know you were only trying to do your job". Deaderuss nodded and also sat, muttering his own apologies as the table returned to quiet. It was then that Lady Angrboða spoke.

"While the Paladin's plan is not without merit, there a number of flaws in it. Firstly, the aircraft that you were planning to use causes a great deal of electromagnetic disturbance that the dragon would be bound to pick up as soon as it enters Jötunheim, meaning we would lose the element of surprise. Secondly, we received reports that I believe the Almighty can corroborate; a few months ago, shortly after the Jötunns managed to kidnap the Bifrost Gate, our spies reported a attempted raid via a Valkyrie platoon under the command of one… Captain Kayrune". The Almighty nodded, confirming this. "From what we have been able to determine, the entire strike team was killed on route to target but worryingly, they appear to have been killed in the air".

"So your saying that the Jötunns DO in fact have some sort of air defence?" Angrboða nodded.

"Yes but we have been unable to determine how much or what type, meaning that any airborne raid can currently be likened to a suicide mission".

"So we're right back where we started" Jago said.

"Well maybe not" said Lord Sukaru. "You may have been onto something with the small group raid. Do you think that you could seriously take on that dragon?" Jago nodded.

"Maybe not me myself but I reckon that Jupiter could certainly give that beasty a run for his money… even if I am loath to use him".

"Well what about if you went on foot rather than by air? Would you be able to beat him?" Jago rubbed his chin, thinking.

"I suppose… if I had a dozen… no make that half a dozen volunteers and maybe a guide then I reckon I could get it done". Deaderuss snorted.

"Half a dozen? Even with a force of fifty Praetorians, it would be an impossible task!"

"Well you would be surprised what half a dozen loonys can achieve". This earned him some grins from around the table.

"And how long would it take you to put this team together?" All eyes turned towards the Almighty who had spoken for the first time since the meeting began. Jago tapped his chin, considering.

"Two days" he said. "That is of course if there are any guides available".

"Well if it's guides you need, I would recommend tree spirits; they go most places and they would be best to contact for this kind of mission" Lord Sukaru said. "In fact, I can put you in contact with one personally; a plum-tree spirit by the name of Troubadour". Jago nodded.

"Sounds like a plan" he said. "In that case, with the permission of your lordships, I would like the authority to precede with this mission". There was a general consensus of nods until the Almighty spoke.

"While I admire your enthusiasm Lord Jago, perhaps it would be best to wait an extra day, at least until you have completed your inauguration. As I understand it, Jupiter is still a threat to you and your team so perhaps it would be best to wait until you actually have some control over him BEFORE you use him to fight the dragon". Jago paused and nodded.

"Aye, you have a point" he said. "Three days then?" There was a consensus of nods, with the exception of Deaderuss.

"If I might make a suggestion in the meantime my Lord?" the Praetorian said. "If the Paladin fails in his mission then there is a very real chance that it could spark a war between us and the Jötunns and as such, would it not be wise to prepare for an imminent invasion in the event of such a conflict?" The Almighty eyed Deaderuss for a moment t and then nodded.

"While I am ashamed to admit it, you are right my lieutenant; it is prudent that we prepare for war" he said and then turned to the room at large. "I hereby propose two motions: firstly, following Lord Jago's inauguration, we allow him to lead a team into Jötunheim in a reprisal attack against Gandamak. Secondly; due to likely event of the mission failing, I recommend that all militaries be placed on a war footing, in preparation for an immediate invasion of Jötunheim, in the event of the failure of this raid. Now place your votes; either Aye or Nay". Unanimous Ayes. "Very well then" said the Almighty. "Lord Jago, gather your team and prepare to move out in three days' time. In the meantime, I want Lord Sukaru to contact Troubadour and inform him of the mission". Both Jago and Jeiko bowed their heads and with that, the meeting of the High Council was dismissed.

8888

Lind was leaning against the wall, just outside the main door, waiting for Jago.

"Well? How did it go?" Jago didn't answer, just removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh of exasperation. "That well, huh?" Lind said.

"Worse" said Jago. "I have no problem with putting together a team in less than three days to go after Gandamak but what I do object to is having to worry about this lot preparing for an invasion of Jötunheim in the event that we don't succeed". Lind whistled.

"That's some pressure" she said. "Still, you already got one volunteer".

"You coming with me?"

"You think I'm going to let you get killed alone?"

"Well I suppose I could always do with the extra luggage allowance" he said jokingly and Lind punched him on the arm.

"Cheeky!" she said with a grin, as they both headed down the stair and out into the sun.

8888

"Do you think he can pull this off?" Hild asked the Almighty as they preceded to his temporary office, located in one of the lower towers of the central palace.

"You mean the Paladin?" he asked. "I hope so. I don't want to have to invade Jötunheim but there has to be some form of public response to this attack". Hild nodded.

"True but you didn't answer the question; do you think Jago can pull this off? If he fails then not only will we have lost the Paladin before he has a chance to make his mark but we will most likely be at war and will have lost our only lead on these mysterious traitors within our Praetorian Guards". The Almighty One was silent for a moment and then he finally nodded.

"I have absolute faith in Jago" he said finally. "Not only did he face down Gandamak after grievous injury but also finally managed to marry off my daughter and Mr Morisato after four years together". Hild smiled.

"True… maybe he does have some brains after all". They both chuckled as they turned the corner only to meet lady Anzus coming the other way.

"Lady Anzus" Hild said curtly.

"Lady Hild" Anzus replied sourly, as they both stared daggers until the Almighty cleared his throat.

"How go the repairs? Is Yggdrasil operational yet?" he asked, trying to break the tension between his wife and his former lover. Lady Anzus turned to him and frowned.

"Not well my Lord" she said. "Much of the physical system is still in need of repair and we don't have enough technicians to cover all areas". The Almighty nodded.

"I see. How long until we are back at full power?"

"Unknown… however you may wish to contact the Paladin" said Anzus.

"Why?" Hild asked, earning her a dirty look from Anzus.

"Because" she said, "despite slow progress in other areas, his mother has started trying to rebuild the system out of scrap". The Almighty chuckled.

"Is that such a big thing? No three dimensional being-"

"But that's just it my Lord; it's actually working".

8888

Back at the barracks, Lind was looking for someone. At Jago's insistence, she had agreed to track down a deep-strike specialist to help them with their mission into Jötunheim and to her knowledge, there was only one person who would fit the bill. As such, she was tracking down Captain Irpa, who despite their animosity for one-another, was probably the most skilled warrior in that discipline. The fact that she would have to ask the other Captain for help galled her but for Jago's sake, she would swallow her pride and try and recruit her.

"Captain Irpa!" The violet haired goddess turned with a look of surprise to see Lind making her way over to her.

"What do you want Lind?" she asked coldly.

"The Paladin has sent me to ask you for your assistance with a mission" Lind replied. "We need your skills as a deep-striker in order-"

"If you think I'm going after that dragon for the likes of you, you have another thing coming!" She turned away from Lind and started making her way down the corridor, back towards her room when she felt a vice-like hand clamp down on her shoulder.

"And why won't you help Irpa?" Lind asked, tightening her grip. Irpa swatted her hand away and turned to face Lind.

"Well why would I need to help you?" she asked. "You are the Mighty Lind, the One-Winged Terror; scourge of demons and Jötunns wherever they may hide and first amongst the hosts of Heaven! And you will have the Paladin with you so why in the world would you need me?"

"Please Irpa, I'm trying to be civil" she said but Irpa wasn't listening.

"Perhaps the Mighty Lind is not so mighty after all? Or maybe it's the Paladin? Maybe he just isn't cut out for the job?"

"Hey now, that's enough" said Lind, her face wrinkling.

"Perhaps the ape is truly useless after all? Perhaps it would have been better if that dragon had killed him? I mean, he has already failed in his duty once so what's to stop him from doing so again? Or perhaps this child of his has made you soft?" Lind gritted her teeth and balled her fist, making Irpa grin. "I'm right on the mark aren't I?" she said with a sneer. "Motherhood has made you soft Lind. It wouldn't be so bad if he were a god or even some sort of Earth spirit but no; he's a human, a foul stinking, disgusting hum-". She never got chance to finish the sentence, as Lind's right fist crashed into her face, knocking her back against the wall.

"Don't you dare insult Jago" she hissed as Irpa pulled herself up.

"How dare you!" Irpa shouted and pulled her broadsword from thin air. "If it's a fight you want then it's a fight you're going to get!" She leapt forward, slashing with her blade, only for Lind to summon her halberd and block the blow with the haft. Irpa roared in frustration and launched herself at Lind, slicing and hacking at her with her sword.

"You are a traitor Lind! A whore and a traitor! You have no place here and I will-". She was cut off as the Mint Sisters appeared behind Lind and launched a simultaneous attack on the other Valkyrie. In desperation, she summoned her own angel; a regal, copper-haired beauty but she was quickly subdued by Spear Mint as Cool Mint tackled the Captain, forcing her to the ground. As she tried to raise herself, Lind placed a foot on her stomach and pointed the blade of her halberd directly at her face.

"ENOUGH IRPA!" she boomed. "I came to you the Jago's request; not because I wanted to or needed to but because he asked me to! The only other person who could make me ask you for help would be the Almighty himself so think on that!" She paused, panting and raised her halberd. "Now look, you don't like me and I sure as Hell don't like you but we both have a duty to Heaven and also to the Paladin to do what we can to defeat Gandamak. Now, I'm not asking you to like me or support me but considering that I have actually come to you, that has to at least count for something. So will you or will you not help us?" she asked, holding out her hand. Irpa lay glaring for a second but then finally, she reached up and took it.

"Very well" she said. "I will help you; but make no mistake, I do this because this is my duty, not because I want to". Lind nodded and helped to pull Irpa to her feet.

"That's fair enough I suppose" she said. "Well that makes two of us, so I wonder how Jago is doing with the third?"

8888

"Excuse me, Weth was it?" Weth turned to see the Paladin crossing the courtyard towards her and she frowned.

"How do you know my name? I never told you". Jago grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, that would be Lamb" he said. "She thought it would be best if I knew the name of person who I had so "grandly" put under my protection". He paused and gave smile. "Anyway, I have a proposition for you; I was wondering if you would be interested in joining me in an expedition?" Weth cocked her head.

"An expedition? Where to exactly?" Jago shrugged.

"To help me go after Gandamak" he said simply. Weth laughed, thinking that he was joking but then she realised that his face had remained serious for the whole time.

"You're not joking are you?" she said. Jago shook his head.

"Nope".

"This is a suicide mission isn't it?"

"Yep, Pretty much".

"And the reason that I would sign up for this would be...?"

"Well I felt bad about what happened with Deaderuss and I wanted to make it up to you". He shrugged at the look she gave him, suggesting that he had just grown a third head. "But I can see that you're not interested. If you change your mind, I'm fairly easy to find; just look for the guy with the Stetson". He turned away, leaving Weth alone to ponder his suggestion.

"_Well that was a waste of time" _Lamb said mentally.

_"You need to learn some psychology lass_" Jago said. "_She's curious now; she'll come_". Just then, Jago's phone rang and he flicked it open. "Hmm, five bars in Heaven" he said and then clicked it on. "Hey-ho?" he said.

"Is that you Paladin? It's Anzus".

"Lady Anzus? Hey, what's up?"

"We need you to get down here now" she said. "We have a situation in the Yggdrasil control room".

"What kind of situation?" There was a moment's pause.

"Your mother" Anzus said finally.

"Nuff said, on my way" said Jago and clicked the phone of.

8888

Jago cautiously dipped his finger into the thick, grey mush and lifted a little, sniffed it and then tasted it, earning him a few groans from some of the administrators.

"Is that…?" he said and Tam poked her head out from under the console.

"Weetabix? Yes" she said. "You should know; let it dry and it'll set as hard as concrete".

"But that's food" said Jago, looking up at the towering structure of Yggdrasil. "You're rebuilding the most powerful computer in the history of the cosmos out of food and string and staples?" Tam poked her head back out.

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" and she jerked a thumb towards the administrators. "They were busy running around like headless chickens after that dragon came through here so I thought it would be best to restore some order. Besides, it's only a temporary fix". She pulled herself back under the monitor and Jago grinned.

"Well you have a point" he said and swung himself back up onto the main control deck. "How's it looking?" he asked Ere and Ex.

"How is it possible that a human woman could do something like this?" one of the asked. "I mean to a human, half the parts are real, half are invisible and half aren't there! So how is she doing it?"

"What happens when I squeeze this?" they heard Tam say and there was a loud HONK.

"All the screens have gone green!" someone called down from high above.

"Sorry" Tam said and with another HONK, all the screens turned back to normal.

"Seems to be mostly trial and error but she's getting better results than the rest of our repair staff".

"Well what do you expect, she redesigned the Tanngrisnir so it make it here is less than a week so it could bring us here" said Jago. "I suggest that you just leave her to it if you want a quiet life". The two girls sighed and nodded, knowing that the next few days were going to be anything but quiet. It was then that two more goddesses appeared.

"Jago! Oh, Jago!" said Eir, touching down on the Yggdrasil control station.

"We've come to volunteer for your mission!" said Saga, beaming hopefully. Jago turned and raised a hand, brining it down in an authoritative gesture.

"No!" he said, earning him two looks of dismay from the hopeful goddesses.

"Oh but why not?" asked Saga.

"We can help! We could-"

"N. O. No" said Jago. "I know that you're good fighters but it would be irresponsible of me to allow goddesses as young as you to come along. Can you imagine how much stig I'd get if something happened to the pair of you?"

"Oh come on Jago" said Eir, pleading. "You can trust us!"

"Besides, both Lind and you will be there! We'll never be in any real danger!"

"What about Gandamak?" Jago said. "He owned my arse pretty bad last time, what's to say he doesn't do it again? And what about Jupiter? He would have no problem with killing the pair of you".

"I say you should let them go". They all turned to see Tam slide out from under the console. "It would be good for them. And good for you too Jago". Jago sighed.

"Don't you gang up on me too" he said. "You may be my mother but there are limits". Tam simply A Look until he felt his skin crawl . "Oh, come on, don't do that" he said. Tam just continued to stare until finally he relented. "Alright, alright, just stop with the staring!" He turned to Eir and Saga. "Mark my words though; if you fuck up then I'm not gonna pull your arses out of the fire! You can do that yourself!" They gave him a dual thumbs-up.

"You can count on us!" the twins said together.

8888

Two days had passed since Lord Sukaru had left to track down the elusive Troubadour and no word had come back as to whether he had been located. All that could be done was continue onward, as if everything was going according to plan. And by this stage, this meant the checking of weapons and final packing.

"Ration packs?" Lind asked, running a whet stone along the blade of her halberd.

"Check" said Jago, stuffing them into his bergan.

"Water purification tablets?"

"Check".

"First aid kit?"

"Check".

"I think that's the lot". Jago nodded and snapped his bag closed before lifting it to test its weight.

"Did we remember the emergency banana?" he asked, making Lind pause.

"Emergency banana? That wasn't on the list".

"What?" said Jago, feigning confusion. "You gotta have an emergency banana!"

"But why?"

"Well for emergencies of course!" Lind snorted and returned to her work as Jago went to check his own weapons, starting with a boot knife that he clamped to the back if his calf. Lind set down her whet stone and ran a thumb along the edge of her blade, testing its keenness. As she went, her eyes settled on the tiny makers mark; the rearing griffin, embossed in the blade. She then let her eyes wander along the haft of the weapon, until they came to rest on the tiny carved inscription: "To Lind, From Jago" and she glanced across at Jago, then seeing he wasn't looking, she gently ran her thumb over it, letting the memories of the last few months wash over her. Jago caught the movement and smiled.

"Getting sentimental are we?" he asked, jerking her out of her contemplation. She gave a sad little smile nodded.

"I was just think back" she said. "Remember that time you tried to teach me how to fish?" Jago sniggered.

"Yeah, we both got so fed up, we ended up using dynamite instead!" They both laughed. "And what about that time we were almost arrest for drunk-driving?"

"And you had to tell that policeman that I always drove that badly!" They both laughed again until they fell into silence. "I'm sorry Jago" Lind said. "It's just that I'm getting a little melancholy".

"How so lass?" Jago asked, his usual smile fading.

"Well, we're going off to fight tomorrow and there's a good chance that neither of us will be coming back. And for once, that bothers me" she said. "I love you Jago. I don't want to lose you" she said, tears in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Jago said soothingly, standing and pulling her into a tight hug. "It's gonna be alright lass" he said. "We're gonna be fine". He put a finger under her chin and raised it gently. "We're going to go out there, beat that dragon to within an inch of its life and then we'll be back in time for tea". Lind smiled up at Jago and he kissed her gently. "And then we're go home, have some peace. I'm gonna keep doing my thing while you get round and plump", and by this point they were both giggling softly, "and all then moody and you'll start craving strange foods and then, one day, we'll have a son. And we're both going to raise him together. The Captain and the Paladin, turned parents". Lind smiled and nodded.

"I like the sound of this plan" she said. She stepped back and wiped a single tear from her eye. "Sorry, I think you can blame the hormones for that one" and Jago chuckled.

"Don't worry. It's the teen years I'm not ready for" and they both laughed. Just then, they heard a knock at the door.

"Door's open" said Lind and in came someone they hadn't expected to see; it was Urd.

"Hello lovebirds!" she said brightly. "Jago, I hear that you've been a sneaky boy! You finally managed to get Belldandy and Keiichi together, without telling me! I'm not sure whether to be happy or furious!"

"Well how does Skuld feel about it?" Jago asked. Urd wiggled her hand in a "so-so" gesture.

"She's alternating between a blind rage, trying to hire demon bounty hunters to hunt you down and catatonically sitting in her room and rocking". She laughed. "Overall, she's taking it pretty well".

"Well how are the lovers in question? I haven't seen them since the wedding". Urd sniggered.

"Well they haven't left Belldandy's room since you married them and I've been told that there have been… urh", she cleared her throat, "enthusiastic noises coming from within". Jago chuckled.

"Something along the lines of "oh God, OH GOD YES!"?" Urd nodded and they both started laughing, while Lind looked bewildered.

"What?" she said. "What's so funny?" Jago shook his head and grinned.

"Nothing" he said, "just a private joke" and then finally turned back to Urd. "I'm guessing that you didn't just come here to tell me about your younger sister's new love-life" he said. Urd sighed.

"You got that right" she said reluctantly. "Lord Sukaru sent me to find you. They found Troubadour".

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"I should have known better" said Urd as they arrived at the spot where she had left Troubadour and Jeiko. Currently, the pair were embroiled in another of their epic "battles to the death", which at the moment could go either way. Lind side-stepped a blast from Jeiko's arm-cannon with a snort as Troubadour leapt towards him, brandishing his rapier.

"And why are they trying to kill each other?" Jago asked, watching as Jeiko's morphed into a long blade and swiped at the minstrel.

"Well Troubadour and I…" said Urd, "well, we used to date and it turned out he is crazy jealous about other men talking to me".

"Jealous enough to kill?" Jago asked as a large rock sailed overhead.

"Not normally no, but Jeiko was poisoned by him at one point and as such, Troubadour got his arse kicked. And now because of that, they've sworn to kill each other". Jago nodded thoughtfully as the two combatants continued to fight, rapidly parrying and slicing at each other as they went.

"Do you think that I made a tactical error in sending Jeiko after him them?" he asked. Urd cocked her head and then shook it.

"No, it was probably the quickest way to track Troubadour down. I probably shouldn't have left them alone though".

"So how long do you think they're going to keep fighting?" Urd gave a pause for thought.

"Who knows… they're pretty evenly matched". Jago nodded and they went back to watching the fight.

"Should I break it up?" Lind asked to which Jago shrugged.

"While I'll admit it's entertaining, to watch I think it would be for the best. Just try not to kill anyone, ok?" Lind nodded and stepped forward, to the edge of the fight, where she stood, waiting for her moment. Then in a sudden jerk, she grasped both combatants by the back of their heads and crashed them together with a CRACK!

"Enough you two!" she said, first turning to Jeiko. "Shame on you lord Sukaru!" she said. "It is not fitting for a Lord of your rank to be seen brawling in public. Especially one trained by Lord Heimdall!" She then turned to Troubadour who was still sprawled across the floor. "And shame on you minstrel! You were summoned here for a reason, not so you can continue a petty argument!" Jeiko bowed his head in humility and muttered his apologies while Troubadour leapt to his feet and began to rant with indignity.

"My most honourable Captain!" he said. "Surely you cannot stop me from exacting my revenge upon this-this-this-Earth spirit! The very one who cost me everything I have worked so hard for!"

"Oh clam up Troubadour!" said Urd. "We all know it was your own damn fault that you lost you rank and privileges after you tried to poison Lord Sukaru". Troubadour turned to face Urd, his face softening and his voice becoming sultry.

"Oh but Urd, you know that everything I do is always in the name of my eternal love for you" he said.

"That may be so but you still need to get a handle on that jealousy" she said to which Troubadour turned red.

"It is not jealousy but proof of my love!" he boomed and Jago sighed.

"We're going into what is probably the most dangerous place in all of existence and this clown is going to be our guide?" he whispered doubtfully to Urd. Troubadour's eye narrowed at this and he pointed a finger at Jago.

"Who is that man?!" he shouted. "I will have him hung, drawn and quartered for speaking so familiarly with MY Urd! BUG SUMMONING SONG!"

"Oh bloody Hell" muttered Jago as Troubadour unleashed a wave of energy, his face becoming lined with shadows and he started to chant.

_"Bugs and bugs and bugs," _

_"and bugs and bugs and bugs and bugs!"_

_"More bugs, more bugs, more bugs,"_

_"More bugs and bugs and bugs!"_

_"And bugs and bugs and-" _

At this point, he was stopped as Lord Sukaru brought a hammer down hard on his head, knocking him out cold.

"You alright Lord Jago?" he asked. Jago coughed once, reached into his mouth and pulled something off of his tongue.

"Fine" he said. "Except for the stick-insect". He let the small animal crawl around his palm a few times before putting it on the ground and letting it crawl away. He then advanced on the prone Troubadour and bent over him. "Well you were efficient" he said to Lord Sukaru, "but I think you may have gone a bit far".

"Nah, he'll be fine!" As if on cue, Troubadour leapt back onto his feet and glared at Jeiko.

"How dare you interfere Sukaru!" he shouted, drawing his rapier. "I will teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!" Jeiko was just in the process of morphing his arm into a blade when Jago stepped between them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said, waving his arms. "This is not time to be killing each other!" he said. "Look, Troubadour was it?" Troubadour nodded. "Good. Now the reason that you were brought here is so that you have knowledge on how to navigate a path through Jötunheim in order to catch a big-ass dragon, not so you can kill a friend of mine!" Troubadour drew himself up to his full height.

"How dare you mortal! I came of my own free will and I go where I wish! You have now power to control-"

"I tell you what; I'll do you a deal" said Jago. "If you help us then I will ask the new Paladin to personally talk to the Almighty about getting you reinstated" Jeiko scowled at this but nodded his approval while Troubadour mulled this over.

"But how can I trust you? You are just a human so why should I believe you? And what influence could you possibly have over the Paladin?" Jago shrugged.

"You would be surprised" he said. "So do we have a deal or don't we?" Troubadour considered it for a moment longer.

"You're not in any way involved with Urd right?" he asked suspiciously.

"HUH! He wishes!" Urd said.

"If you really must know then he and I are a couple" said Lind. "Does that satisfy you Troubadour?" At last the minstrel nodded.

"Very well human. If you can convince the Paladin to speak to the Almighty then I will sign up for up for this ridiculous quest".

"Good to hear it" said Jago.

"Great" said lord Sukaru. "Can I go now?" he asked. "I don't want to be around this fairy any long than I must". Troubadour threw him a dirty look but Jago nodded.

"Alright mate. Oh and thanks. I'll see you tonight?" Jeiko nodded and strode away as Troubadour turned back to Jago.

"Tonight? What's happening tonight?"

"Inauguration of the new Paladin" said Lind. "It was delayed hanks to that dragon but they finally got around to rescheduling it". Troubadour nodded and then furrowed his brow.

"I never did ask; who's the new Paladin?" Jago chuckled.

"Well that my friend would be ME!"

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"Do I REALLY have to wear this monkey suit?" Jago asked as he and Lind made their way to his inauguration ceremony. Lind sighed with exasperation.

"Yes Jago, it's a state occasion. I know you hate wearing it but these things have to be done". Jago sighed and nodded.

"I just wish I could wear my own hat". It was about then that they arrived at the central palace, where they were met by a pair of Praetorians.

"Captain Lind" one of them said, "you are to accompany me while the Paladin is to go with my associate here. We are to show you to where you are supposed to wait". Lind nodded and turned to Jago, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Good luck" she said and she turned to follow the Praetorian as Jago followed the other.

"You will have to excuse our rather rushed ceremony this evening" said Jago's guide. "We would normally perform an inauguration at the central area, before a crowd of beings from every race but we haven't yet finished the repairs to the rest of the building yet. As such, there will be only a handful present". Jago nodded.

"That sounds fine to me" he said. "I've never been one to give speeches to big crowds". The Praetorian smiled and said nothing as they continued along the corridors. In fact, it was Jago who eventually broke the silence. "So…" he said, glancing at her should badges. "You from the fourth cohort?" he asked. The Praetorian smiled and nodded.

"That's right sir" she said. "Corporal Yrsa, goddess first class, special category, unlimited licence, Praetorian sub-division. The Foe-hammers". Jago nodded and grinned.

"Why do they call you the Foe-hammers?" he asked.

"We're heavy weapons specialists" she said. "Brute force attacks are our speciality. It may not be elegant but our methods tend to be effective. Plus, most of us use hammers as a weapon of choice". With that, they turned a final corner and reached a large and heavily sealed door, flanked by another pair of Praetorians. "Corporal Yrsa, escorting the new Paladin to his inauguration" she said and the two Praetorians nodded, steeping aside as the doors swung open to allow Jago access. "You must now go in alone Paladin" said Yrsa. "After that, the doors will be sealed behind you and the inauguration can begin". Jago nodded and he took a step forward before pausing.

"Thank you" he said. "Oh and nice talking to you!" Yrsa nodded and smiled.

"Nice taking to you sir!" she said and then Jago stepped into the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

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Now Jago was alone with what appeared to be a sunken dais, with balconies surrounding him, high above. The entire room crackled with power that seemed to radiate from the very stone and he was sure that he saw sparks ripple along the masonry. It was then that a voice boomed down to him:

"You're late Paladin!"

"Sorry" said Jago, "I couldn't find my helmet". He looked up and saw that now, every balcony was lined with figures, representing every major race.

"We're sorry that this has to be rushed ceremony" said Hild. "We were planning something a lot more grand but our plans were waylaid somewhat". Jago bowed his head and nodded.

"So how does this work?" he asked.

"It's simple" said a voice from higher up, the figure obscured. "You and your Archs must stand in the centre of the dais and recite the Oath of Loyalty. After that, we create a Barrier Shield around you and you must release your full powers so that the sufficient opposites can be given to you, thereby fully balancing your strength". Jago nodded but looked doubtful.

"Are you sure that a Barrier Shield will be enough to contain Jupiter? You saw what he did to that Aegis at the arena".

"This is a far stronger spell" someone else said, "using the magic from all of the mightiest spell-casters in the world. Even Jupiter won't be able to break this shield".

"If you say so" said Jago. He stepped forward, into the middle of the dais, calling forth Lamb and Damascus. "Ready girls?" he whispered. They nodded.

"Ready" they whispered back. Jago nodded and knelt before the dais, feeling a crackle of energy around his knees.

"Let's begin" a voice said and Jago glanced up to see it was the Almighty himself, stood alone on one of the high balconies. "Now repeat after me…"

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Jago repeated his vow and then felt a surge of energy as the Barrier Shield was raised above him.

"Now listen Jago" the Almighty said, his voice slightly muffled. "You must use you FULL power. If you hold back, even the slightest, then the transfer will fail and there is a very good chance that you'll be killed".

"Brilliant" Jago muttered and then to the crowd above; "I'm ready".

"Very well then, begin to release your powers. But SLOWLY!" Jago nodded and slowly dug deep into his mind, searching his mind for that tiny nub of power, that berserker button that would allow him to show his full strength.

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High above, the watchers could already feel Jago's power beginning to build, pushing against the shield, drawing energy towards him. Lamb and Damascus had now tapped their own powers, adding their strength to Jago's.

"Is this all he has?" someone asked. "This is barely enough-"

"Quiet!" the Almighty called out. "If what we felt during his duel with Lind was anything to go by, then this is but a fraction of his powers". Then as if on cue, the shield gave a lurch and the chamber bellow was flooded with energy. Now the real test would begin, as the strength of Papa Jupiter was shown.

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Lamb and Damascus looked fearfully at their Master as they felt the waves of Jupiter's energy come pouring out. Their combined strength was great but this was greater. How could a human contain so much power, so much _evil_ and still be human? And how could this person be their Master? As Jupiter's powers swelled, they could see the energy transfers go into overdrive as it worked to match the strength of this impossible figure. And then they heard him speak;

"Lamb, Damascus, help!"

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_Jago stood alone, within his own mind. It was dark, with nothing above or below but he could see perfectly. And he could feel. In particular, he could feel the approach of a presence that was him and yet at the same time, not him. For walking towards him was a figure. One that looked like Jago but for one thing; his eyes were red. Not a glowing red but like that of blood, from the whites to the corneas, with just a single dark speck marking the pupil. The figure stopped, ten paces from Jago and then bowed his head._

_"Hello Jago" he said._

_"Nice to see you Jupiter"._

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There was a wave of panic going through the watchers above as the full power of Jupiter was revealed.

"What's happening?" someone asked.

"There's something wrong with the transfer… Jupiter isn't accepting the power! It's just not being absorbed!"

"But how can this be?"

"it can only mean one thing" the Almighty said slowly. "Jupiter already has some sort of counter". And as he said that, the shield broke, flooding the chamber with energy. The watchers were thrown back as the balconies shattered, filling the air with broken stone. And Jago's voice rang out above it all.

"NO JUPITER!"

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_"YOU STOP THIS NOW!" Jago roared at his other self, making Jupiter smirk. "I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM THEM!"_

_"And how will you stop me? Well Jago? I am unleashed! I will see this world burn and every other! And you will not have the power to stop me!"_

_"That may be so but it won't stop me from trying!" _

_"You can try but you will fail! They will all die by my hand; Damascus, Astrakhan Lamb, Lind, they will all burn!"_

_"They will not! I will not let you use me!" He squared himself against Jupiter and rolled his shoulders, lessening up. "If you wish for this mind and body to be yours then I will fight you Jupiter!"_

_"And he will not fight alone!"_

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As the dust and smoke cleared, Hild staggered to her feet. The force of Jupiter's self-destruction had been phenomenal, far beyond that even of Gandamak. So how was she still alive? She looked down at the central dais and there was Jupiter, a ball of deep purple energy surrounding him. Lamb and Damascus were stood beside him, hands placed against the ball and chanting furiously. Then she realised what had happened; Jupiter had broken free and Jago was using his Archs to keep him contained. However, she knew now that it was a fool's errand for if the wave power that had just come through was anything to go by, Jupiter would simply stomp them flat.

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_"So this is Jupiter?" Lamb asked, touching down beside Jago, her wing wrapping protectively around him. Jupiter grinned at her and swept of his hat._

_"A pleasure to meet you Miss Astrakhan Lamb!" he said with a bow. "Or should I say, Miss Striking Twilight, former Archangel of Lady Serenity, the Fighting Arch". Lamb gasped at the mention of her Mistress's name, as it unlocked a part of her memory that had long been sealed._

_"How do you know my name?" she said. "It was sealed! Nobody should-"_

_"I know many things about you Miss Twilight for I am… Jago. And he is me"._

_"That is not true" Jago said. "I am not like you". Jupiter tutted._

_"Come now Jago, don't be so naïve. I am your Opal-essence, the very embodiment of your dark soul! If I am not you then what am I?" He grinned at Jago's confusion and laughed. And then he paused, sensing the presence of a third. "Ah and I see that Miss Damascus has also decided to join us" he said, not bothering to turn and face the devil. _

_"So this is why Master has kept you hidden" she said. "I don't know what you are Jupiter but by my wings, you will not take my Master". She stopped beside Jago and placed a clawed hand on his shoulder. _

_"So you think the three of you stand a chance of defeating me?" Jupiter asked. "Well I have to say, I have got to admire your balls". And he chuckled. "If you would pardon the expression ladies". He took a step forward, raising a hand from which a tiny speck of dark fire grew. "This mind is already mine and with it, this body. There is nothing that you three can do to contain me". _

_"Well they may not but I probably can" said a calm voice. Jupiter turned, glaring about, searching for the source of the voice._

_"Pluto! Where are you? Show yourself!" _

_"I'm where I always am" said the voice. "You have failed this time Jupiter so I suggest you release them". Jupiter growled and turned to the Jago and the Archs. _

_"You were lucky this time" he said. "But next time, Pluto may not be around to save you!" _

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The ball of energy around Jupiter collapsed and he and the angels fell to the floor in a heap, utterly spent.

"Well that was interesting" Jago said.

"Do you have any idea what just happened?" Damascus asked.

"Not the foggiest" Jago admitted. "I THINK Jupiter was just about to steamroller us until Pluto came and saved us".

"And who's Pluto?" she asked.

"Don't know but whoever he is, I think we owe him our lives. Ain't that so Damascus?" Damascus didn't answer, having fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

"I think she's got the right idea" said Jago. Thirty seconds later, he was asleep too.

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"Jago? Jago? Are you alright?" Jago opened his eyes and looked up to see Lind leaning over him, shaking him gently.

"Yep, except the bits of me on the left" he said and pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Easy" said Lind. "You really did a number on yourself". Jago nodded and cracked his neck, relieving a kink.

"I can feel it" he said. "What the hell happened? Why does it look like I wrecked the place?"

"Well that's because you did" Lind said. "I'm not sure on the details but Jupiter got out of control and blew everything up… again". Jago grunted.

"Well that seems to be a regular occurrence" he said.

"Is he alright Lind?" someone asked and Lind turned away from Jago to answer.

"Come and see for yourself" she said. She moved aside and helped Jago to his feet as the Almighty One came striding over to them.

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"Well you survived then" he said. "And you look like you're in one piece". Jago snorted.

"Yeah and I feel like I'm in several. Anyway, did it work? My mind is still a little fuzzy". The Almighty conjured up a mirror and held it up so Jago could see his reflection. Upon Jago's forehead, there was now a tiny blue-green symbol; an upside-down hammer, a symbol from Norse mythology. Jago gingerly raised a hand to his forehead and touched it, feeling the warm, slightly smooth texture of the new skin.

"Congratulations" said Hild, stepping out from behind the Almighty. "You are now our official Paladin". Jago nodded, still stunned and rubbed his face with both hands.

"Right" he said slowly. "_Lamb, Damascus, you there?"_

_"Here Master" _ said Damascus. "_But Lamb is…"_

_"I'm here too"_ Lamb said.

"Good". Jago pulled himself up to his full height and grunted. "In that case, would it be amiss if before I do anything else that involves excitement, danger or possible loss of life, that I sit down and have a bear and a pie? And maybe a Kitkat?" The Almighty laughed and even Hild and Lind managed smiles.

"Well, after what you did just now, I think we can arrange that!" he said. Jago gave a weak smile and allowed Lind to support him out the room.

"Would you like me to cook tonight?" she asked, half-serious.

"I may be exhausted but I'm not that desperate!" Jago said. "I think I can manage a pie without your help!" With that, they turned the corner and were lost from view. The Almighty turned to Hild and his smile fell.

"Well…" he said.

"That was certainly… unexpected" she said. "And I'm not entirely sure what happened". The Almighty nodded.

"Well whatever it was that was preventing those powers from taking hold appears to have stopped Jupiter. At least for now anyway". Hild nodded but she was still concerned.

"What was that?" she said. "I know you mind-tapped him too but whatever was going on inside his head was protected beyond that of any being I have ever encountered… even above that of a Titan".

"Well it's too late to do anything now" sad the Almighty. "Let us see what happens with that dragon and then I guess we go from there". Hild sighed and nodded.

"I hate being in the dark" she said.

"Well maybe you should come over to the light?" Hild snorted at the lame pun.

"Not on your life" she said.

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It was dark when Jago awoke, his mind still buzzing. Gently moonlight filtered through the window and bathed both he and Lind its gentle glow. He sighed a little and tried to return to sleep but it wouldn't come. He needed to clear his mind. Gently, he disentangled himself from Lind's grasp and rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her and stumbled to the sink so that he could splash his face with water. As he looked up though, he saw something in the mirror. _There was someone else in the room._ He quickly spun and dropped into a crouch, reaching instinctively for his khukuri but cursed, realising that it was on the desk, nearly ten feet away. Then however, the figure turned and he recognised her.

"Lamb?" he whispered and she started.

"Oh! Master" she said. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Jago shook his head.

"No, I just can't sleep. What are you doing up?" The angel shrugged.

"Same problem" she said.

"Well if we're both up, we might as well make tea" Jago said. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen".

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Jago spun the chair so that it was facing backwards and lead on the back, sipping the strong tea.

"What's up then Lamb?" he asked. "What's on your mind?" Lamb shrugged, taking a swig of her own tea.

"It's nothing Master" she said. "Just…"

"Go on".

"How much do you remember about today?" Jago's face remained blank.

"Everything" he said. "I didn't want to tell anyone about what happened though… they have enough to worry about as it is". Lamb nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. "So what's on your mind?" Jago asked.

"It was something that Jupiter said" Lamb admitted. "He told me… my true name. I am Astrakhan Lamb now but once I was someone called Striking Twilight and-" she gulped, "and that scares me Master". Jago cocked his head.

"How so?" he said.

"Do you know how I got that name?" she asked. "It was because I'm a killer". She hung her head in shame. "I have always been different, never like those other Archs who use magic or computers, oh no; I was the Fighting Arch. The one who made her first kill before she even had a name". Jago nodded, taking a sip of tea.

"What happened?" he asked. Lamb shrugged.

"My Mistress was a trainee for a Valkyrie Sergeant and we received word that a group of demons had penetrated Heaven. This was back before the doublet system you see and so we were free to kill each other as we saw fit. What happened was my Mistress's Mistress was summoned away to fight the demons and we followed her and…" she paused, giving a hiccup, "we saw one of them slay her. With that, we went into a rage and one our own, my Mistress and I charged the demons and we killed them all. I killed twenty-three demons before I even had a name". She look at Jago tearfully. "And I thought it was a name I had escaped. Master, am I a bad person? I have so much blood on my hands and yet-"

"You're not the only one who has killed Lamb" Jago said. "I once took a life too". Lamb cocked her head, confused as Jago set down his mug.

"Master?" she asked.

"I used to be a dealer. Drugs. Ecstasy was my speciality; selling at club and bars. Don't ask why or how and DEFFINATLY don't tell Lind but there we have it".

"And you killed?"

"Once, yes. It was after one night at my usual joint. I was out back, waiting for my next delivery when this crack-head comes up to me with a knife and demands £500 of my stuff. Well, obviously I refuse and we start fighting. Then my supplier shows up, a friend of mine and he tries to help me but he ends up getting stabbed. And I…"

"That was when you first found Jupiter, right?" Jago nodded and coughed.

"Ay. I was looking down at my friend and he was bleeding out and all of a sudden I think "I'm gonna fucking kill this guy!" So I reach over and grab his knife off him and before he knows what's happening, I stab him in the neck and he's dead before the ambulance arrives". Jago looked Lamb straight in the face. "The next day I had my epiphany; what the fuck was I doing? The police acquitted me of all charges and I skipped town before my buddies could ask me to go back to work. It was then I bought my khukuri". He rolled back his sleeve, revealing the thick lattice of scars that marked his self-inflicted wounds, one for every time that the blade had been drawn. "You see these?" he asked, pointing at a particularly thick set on his wrist. "One for every pill that I sold. One for every life I fucked up. The rest are a reminder; I am not that person any more. Jupiter saved me from that. And now he repays me with a rage that would see the world burn". He looked into lamb's shocked face and nodded. "So you see, however bad you think you have been in your life, you will never be as evil as me. As I said; I'm not a nice guy, I'm a vicious bastard". He paused and sighed. "I can understand if you would want someone else as your Master now" he said. "I'm too flawed for someone like you". Lamb didn't answer immediately, just stood and walked over to him, pulling herself into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck so she could lay her soft, black hair against his chest.

"No Master, we are both flawed" she said. "You and I are a pair; a Master and his angel, both two sides of the same coin. I have accepted you for who you are from the moment you wished to protect me and I will always be loyal to you".

"And you are my Lamb" Jago said softly. "For all your flaws, you and I are one. I would walk to Hell on Sunday to keep you safe" he said.

"As would I" said another quiet voice as Damascus gently folded her wings around the pair of them.

"And I" said Lind from her spot by the doorway.

"How much of that did you hear?" Jago asked.

"All of it" Lind admitted. "But I don't care. We are tarnished souls together. Seems fitting doesn't it?" Jago nodded and slowly stood, cradling Lamb like an infant.

"I think it's time we went back to bed" he said. "Dawn's not far off and we gotta be up and about bright and early". Lind nodded and led the way back to their room, with Lamb and Damascus retracting back inside Jago as they went. The last words that Jago heard before he fell back into a deep sleep, Lind's arms wrapped gently around his neck were words of thanks;

"_I love you Master_" whispered Lamb. "_And… thank you for accepting me_".

**Authors Note: sorry it took so long to get this up eveyone. I started writing it the day before my laptop broke and it took a week for the parts I thought I needed to arrive. When they arrived, I then discovered that they weren't the bits I needed and so (haveing not made any progress on this chapter for nearly a week), I copied a version of this onto a stick and used libary PCs from there. Hopefully it's not too dreadful.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Into Jötunheim**

It was now just before dawn. Jago has his entire arsenal laid out ready for use and after swinging his bag into place, began to work by attaching his weapons to himself. Into the pouch on his belt, he slotted his Damascus steel folding knife, with his mora going on his opposite side. Behind that went his khukuri, the blade now filed to a razor's edge. Across of his back, his huge shield covered his rucksack; his new eversharp claymore lying alongside while crossing underneath was one of his Homeland 37 shotguns. His maul was securely tucked under his left arm while from his right shoulder, he slung an eight-bore elephant gun. Tucked in a shoulder holster was his trusty .45 revolver while crossing his body were enough spare shells for multiple reloads for each weapon. Into the pockets of his thick leather jacket went his brass-knuckles while down one leg went his tactical boot knife, covered by his sock. Finally he lifted his hat, feeling the sharpened pennies that filled the brim and then flipped it, inserting a coil of cheese wire into the inside of the encircling the leather band that made up the base of the peak. Finally he stood and turned to Lind.

"Ready?" he asked. Lind nodded.

"Aren't all those weapons a bit excessive?" she asked but Jago shook his head.

"Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them".

"If you say so" she said with a shrug, stowing her seax under her uniform's wings, slipped her black leather jacket over the top of her suit and swung her halberd over her shoulder. "Let's go; they'll be waiting for us".

8888

The streets were lined with goddess who let out a cheer as Jago and Lind arrived at the central plaza, just outside the palace. The others were already there and Eir and Saga bowed a greeting as the pair approached.

"We're glad you made it" beamed Eir.

"You girls ready?" Jago asked and they both nodded.

"Of course we're ready!" said Saga.

"Did you really have to bring them along?" Lind asked.

"Well I couldn't exactly say no now could I? Besides they had an unfair advantage".

"And what was that exactly?"

"My mother". Lind snorted as they made their way towards Troubadour and Irpa, both looking very dour. However, Jago pulled up sharp when he saw what lay beyond their little band. Stood in perfect array on the other side of the plaza was a full Praetorian cohort. As they greeted the others, the commander of the Praetorians began to stride over to them, with Jago giving a groan as he recognised her as the one he had been forced to fight on the day that he had met Deaderuss. She stopped just before them and bowed stiffly.

"Lord Paladin" she said and then turned her gave upon Lind. "Captain" she said tersely. "We have been awaiting your arrival.

"Well I'm honoured that you would give me a guard of honour" said Jago, "but isn't a full cohort a little extreme?" The Lady chuckled.

"An honour guard? You misunderstand our purpose" she said. "My forces are part of Heaven's contribution to the combined military force that is meant to invade Jötunheim as and when you fail to defeat Gandamak. It just so happens that we'll be traveling on the same road as far as the staging post. From there, my forces will wait until you have either defeated the dragon or died in the attempt". Jago paused at this and nodded.

"Alright, that sounds agreeable" he said to which the Praetorian smiled.

"Good. In that case, are we ready for the off?"

"Not just yet" Jago said. "There's still one more person who we're still waiting for".

"Who?" asked Lind.

"You'll see" said Jago. "That is, if she ever turns up". The Praetorian glanced around, not seeing any evidence of another party member.

"How long do you expect us to wait for Paladin?" she asked testily. Jago pulled out his phone to consult the clock.

"Half an hour?" he said hopefully. The Praetorian raised an eyebrow. "Ok, fifteen minutes" The Praetorian nodded.

"Good. If she's not here by then though, we're leaving without you". With that, the Praetorian turned and strode back to her unit, leaving Jago and Lind standing.

"So do you really think this mystery person will actually show up?" Lind asked. Jago shrugged.

"She should do… unless I missed my guess".

8888

The fifteen minutes came and went and there was still no sign of the final member of the team. At last, Jago agreed that it was time to move out.

"Saga?" he asked. "Send word to the Praetorians; tell them we're ready to leave". He stood and shouldered his bag, as the young goddess scampered off, a frown on his face. "I was sure that she would show" he said to himself. "I must be losing my touch". Just then, they heard a voice cry out behind them.

"WAIT! STOP! I'M COMING!" They all turned to see Weth come haring down the road towards them, a bag slung over her shoulder and her hair in disarray. She reached them and then stopped, doubling over to pant. Jago grinned.

"Weth, I was getting worried" he said. "For a while there, I wasn't sure that you would come".

"I didn't come… for you" she said between breaths. "If I… kill… the dragon… then maybe my Lord Deaderuss will accept me… as his apprentice… once more".

"Well whatever your reasons, your with us now!" as he turned to join the now advancing column. Within seconds, Lind had fallen into step beside him.

"That's who you were waiting for? But isn't she-"

"Deaderuss's apprentice? Yes" said Jago. "I thought that I would make it up to her for having her lose her position in the Praetorians".

"By taking her on a suicide mission?"

"Yep. Pretty much!"

8888

With a great cheer, the column set off, the tramp of a thousand feet echoing through the wide boulevards. The both sides of the street were lined with goddesses of every rank and licence, all come to the brave warriors on their march to war. Jago's party took up a position just to the rear of the column; he and Lind leading while behind them came the twins, with Captain Irpa and Troubadour bringing up the rear. However, it wasn't long before they crowds fell away and soon they were tramping through the shade of a wood that marked the edge of Heimdall's realm. And there he was; the Guardian of the Gate, his golden eyes gleaming in the sun as he leaned silently against his sword. Beside him stood Lord Jeiko, his face grave.

"Greetings Heimdall" said the Praetorian after calling a halt to the march. "We have come to-"

"So that you may march on the Earth spirit kingdom, where the allied forces are preparing for their assault on Jötunheim" said Heimdall. "Yes, I know. Lord Sukaru has been ordered to accompany you to the camp, even though both he and I agree that it would be foolish to march on the Jötunn's at this time". The Praetorian snorted.

"With all due respect Lord Heimdall, it has been a long time since you have led a campaign of any sort. And while Lord Sukaru may now in command of Lord Buddha's Earth spirit forces, he has yet to lead a force of his own, am I right?" Jeiko gritted his teeth at the insult but nodded. "Well in that case, I will stick to Lord Deaderuss's plans and we will continue with our build-up". Heimdall simply nodded and then turned his head slightly so that he was looking at Jago's party.

"Lind, it is good to see you again" he said to which Lind bowed her head.

"And you Master" she said.

"And I see that you have brought the Paladin with you" said the Guardian, turning his gaze upon Jago who shuddered at the stare. Heimdall's golden eyes seemed to stare right through him, unable to truly focus on anything. "He is as I foresaw he would be" said the Guardian with the briefest of smiles. "And I see that you carry his child. This is good; too long were you without someone to care for".

"Look, this is all very fascinating" said the Praetorian commander, "but we are on a tight schedule. Now, if you would be so kind as to open the Gate Lord Heimdall, so that we may precede". Heimdall turned his golden gaze upon the Praetorian, making her involuntarily shrink back in fear.

"The Gate is already unlocking as we speak. However, as the Bifrost Gate has been kidnapped, we have to wait until some code can be rewritten so that our auxiliary Gate be used to get you there. So have patience". The Praetorian gulped and nodded, her bravado gone.

"How long?" she asked tentatively.

"Within the hour" Heimdall said and then turned away from her and turning to face to Jago. "Paladin, come" he said, gesturing with his hand. "I wish to speak with you in private". Jago glanced at Lind who nodded.

"Heimdall was my mentor" she said. "If he chooses to impart knowledge with you, it is best that you listen". Jago nodded and followed Heimdall away from the group, until they came to a clearing in the woods, with two stumps situated in the centre. Heimdall took a seat on one of them and gestured for Jago to do the same on the other.

"So Paladin" said Heimdall, "I understand that you are to try and kill Gandamak?" Jago nodded.

"That's the general idea. He attacked Heaven and so it's only right that we retaliate" he said. Heimdall raised a hand and waved a finger.

"Don't be so hasty to condemn the dragon" said the Guardian. "For all his power, Gandamak is just another pawn in this game". Jago paused and nodded.

"Would this be the same game that brought lamb and I together?" Heimdall nodded.

"Yes" he said. "The dragon was meant to kill you and the Archs in order to extinguish what she knows".

"And now we're walking right into the lion's den… or should I say the dragon's den?" Heimdall nodded.

"Aye". The Guardian paused and stared hard at Jago's face, considering something. "I sense that you have the power to deal with the dragon if you must though".

"What about my team?" Jago asked.

"Your team?" Heimdall said. "Well let me see… Troubadour is a capable fighter, even if his magic is limited to summoning insects to eat people from the inside-out. As to the twins… they are eager and while I have never seen them in action myself, they are said to be strong girls. If a little head-strong and wilful. Irpa is solid if unimaginative, even if she holds a grudge with Lind for taking her place as the commander of the first cohort".

"And Lind herself?"

"Lind? You should know" said Heimdall with a grin. "She is and always has been my greatest student and the greatest fighter there has ever been. A fact that she knows well enough, especially after you got her pregnant, which has effectively tripled her powers".

"Yes but how strong?" said Jago. "I need to know exactly how much I can rely on her without endangering both her and our son". Heimdall shrugged.

"She has always been powerful; at least on a par with Lord Tyr or Lady Hild. Now though…"

"She's three times as strong as the Almighty?"

"Roughly" admitted Heimdall. "However" he said, with a note of warning, "she will still need you protection. For all her power and her experience, she is inexperienced in matters of the heart and she is likely to risk her own life if she thinks that she can save you… And she won't appreciate it if you risk yourself saving her. Jeiko made that mistake once".

"He saved her? From what?"

"It's a long tale; too long to tell now. Just suffice to say this; shortly after I took Lind on as my apprentice, I was asked by Lord Buddha, the leader of the Earth spirits, to tutor a child of his tribe".

"Jeiko right?" Jago asked to which Heimdall nodded.

"Yes. Anyway, he was never on a par with Lind but as they trained together, she grew fond of him, as an older sister might. However, shortly before she was accepted into the ranks of the Valkyries, Lind descended to Earth in order to prove her strength against a terrible foe".

"Let me guess… Jeiko followed her, she was nearly killed, he saved her and now she hates him for it, either for making her feel inadequate or for risking his own life".

"For risking his life, yes". Heimdall sighed. "Although it was probably just as well that he did follow her; if he hadn't I would never have found that dragon…"

"A dragon?"

"Aye. Tobruk was his name. The mighty dragon of Libya and brother of Gandamak. When I arrived, he had defeated both of my apprentices and so I slew him on the spot. That of course attracted his brother's attention and it was only with the assistance of your devil's mistress that we were able to seal him in Ginnungagap. God bless that Nightmare".

"And so now, if I try to save Lind at the risk of my own life, she will probably end up hating me for it?"

"I see you understand the trappings of the female mind" said Heimdall. "Still, I have faith in you Paladin. The very fact that you were able to defeat Lind in single combat is all the proof I need that you should be able to keep her safe. Just don't fuck it up". Heimdall paused and seemed to stare into space for a minute, as if looking at some distant clock. "Time to let them through" he said and stood. "Come Paladin, you have a mission to complete".

"Wait a minute!" said Jago. There are two things that I need to know. Firstly, can I trust Weth? I know that I was the one who asked her to come but I need to know. Secondly; do you have any advice on how to defeat Gandamak?" Heimdall stopped and sat back down considering Jago's words.

"Hmm" he said. "To answer your second question; there is no advice I can give…. Except…. Maybe trying to talk to Gandamak."

"Talk to him?" said Jago, looking confused.

"Remember; Gandamak is just another pawn. If you talk to him and he decides to speak then I suggest that you listen. Now as to Weth, I shall answer you with a question of my own; do YOU think you can trust her?"

8888

"What took you so long?" the Praetorian demanded as Heimdall and Jago appeared from between the trees.

"You should not be so quick to go to war" said Heimdall. "There will be plenty of time for fighting later". He strode forward, positioning himself ahead of the group as the Praetorians reformed their marching column. Jago meanwhile re-joined his little group as Heimdall summoned a ring of magic around himself.

"What happened?" Lind asked. "What did Heimdall tell you?"

"Nothing important" Jago said. Lind frowned but let it slide and turned her attention back to Heimdall as a glowing light surged up from the circle surrounding the gold-eyed guardian. And then, descending from a pillar of light above him, came a tiny figure in red and purple robes, white hair running down to her shoulders, and a long, heavily decorated staff across her back.

"I hope that you have a very good reason for summoning me and changing my programing, Guardian" she said, looking furious. She girl lacked arms so instead, folded the pair of wing-like robe pieces that she used as appendages across her chest.

"Who's that?" Jago whispered to Lind.

"One of the Gates" Lind replied. "I couldn't tell you which though as they all look identical".

"Well this is new" Jago said. "I knew the Gates were sentient beings but I didn't realise that they were actually people".

"Well what were you expecting?" Heimdall in the meantime had dropped to one knee before the wrath of the Gate.

"Forgive me Lady Gate" the said, bowing his head and thumping his right hand against his left shoulder. "I was under orders to have you temporarily reassigned. Once you have allowed them through, you shall be returned to you usual state". He gestured towards the massed ranks of the Praetorians and then at Jago's group, indicating the "them". The Gate nodded but scowled.

"Very well" she said. "However, remember this Guardian; I am not like my sister, the Bifrost Gate. I will not be summoned at will and if you ever forget that, there will be Hell to pay!" Heimdall bowed his head respectfully.

"I understand Lady Gate". The Gate nodded and withdrew the staff from her back, revealing it to be an extremely large key which she handed to the Guardian.

"Here. Now unlock me and let's get this over with". Heimdall nodded, spinning the key in his hands and pushed it into the keyhole it the Gate's chest. With a moan that would have made the most perverted Hentai blush red, the gate expanded outward into a glowing blue portal which hung in the air, just above the ground. "Right, I'm open now" said the Gate. "now hurry up and get through me before I change my mind. And if anyone should dare to traipse mud through me, you'll be in a world of hurt! My Mistress is going to be mad enough that I'm missing as it is!" Heimdall nodded and turned towards the assembled troops.

"You heard the Lady" he said. With a silent nod, the Praetorian commander turned and waved to her forces forward. The Praetorians started forward, the relentless tramp of their feet kicking up a great cloud of dust as they passed through the Gate.

"Great…" the Gate said. "Dust all up in my circuits! Just what I wanted". Jeiko led the way, alongside the commander, touching his brow in salute as he passed Heimdall.

"Well, shall we go then?" Irpa said, pulling herself to attention. Jago nodded and they attached themselves to the tail end of the column. Just as they reached the portal however, Heimdall called out to them.

"Good luck" he said. "Oh and Paladin".

"Yes?" Jago said, pausing to turn on the edge of the Gate.

"Bring them all back alive".

8888

Jago and Lind were the last two through the portal, stepping out into the blinding sunlight of the Earth spirit kingdom. Jago shielded his eyes as he looked out across this new world; a land of rolling plains and low hills, dotted with the occasional tree.

"Well this is bleak" said Jago. "No decent mountains, hot as Hell and no rain like as not".

"Is that necessarily bad?" Lind asked as they attached themselves to the rear of the column.

"Well yeah" said Jago. "This place is more depressing than Germany!" The march continued onwards, mile after mile of road, in a cloud of deep red dust that stained the cloths of the marchers and burned their throats and eyes. This had put the Praetorian commander in a foul mood and she decided that she would make Jago's party suffer for it. She called to Jeiko who reluctantly trotted up beside her.

"Yes my Lady?"

"Lord Sukaru Tell the Paladin that he's not do dawdle at the rear! If he's to march with us, he's to pick up the pace!" Jeiko reluctantly nodded and peeled off to the rear of the column.

"Alright Jeiko?" Jago asked, coughing up a cloud of dust.

"Sorry Jago but Her Ladyship", he spat, "says that you're to pick up the pace. No dawdling at the rear". Jago nodded and then paused.

"To get to this camp, we just follow this road right?" Jeiko nodded.

"Yeah, about ten miles". Jago grinned.

"Well in that case, instead of dawdling at the rear, how about we dawdle at the front?" With that, he set off at an unusual pace; running for paces and then walking four, then running another four, then walking four.

"What are you doing?" Lind asked as she pulled level with him once more.

""I'm quicktimeing" said Jago, tipping his hat to the commander was they passed her. Jeiko fell back into place beside her as she blustered at Jago's impudence.

"What the Hell is he doing?"

"He said he only knows two kinds of march" he said with a grin. "Quicktime and dawdle".

8888

With Jago's rapid, if somewhat disjointed march, they reached the encampment that marked the staging ground for the assault on Jötunheim. And what a sight it was; thousands of tents, spread from horizon to horizon, with fluttering banners marking the edges of each zone. Troubadour whistled through his teeth.

"How many are there?" he asked, unable to mask his awe at the size of the vast hoard arrayed before them.

"Roughly?" Lind said. "At least fifty-thousand fighters plus support forces and camp followers".

"That's… amazing" said Saga, gasping for breath.

"But… did we really… have to quicktime all the way here…" said Eir.

"Stop moaning" said Irpa. "It was only ten miles for Heaven's sake!"

"But we're not… like you" said Eir.

"We're trainee wish-granters… not Valkyries!" said Saga.

"Well anyway" said Jago, "someone probably needs to report our arrival to whoever is in charge while the rest of us set up camp. Weth, can I trust you to sign us in?" Weth nodded indignantly.

"Yes _boss_" she said with a drawl and disappeared of into the encampment.

"I get the feeling she doesn't like me" said Jago and then shrugged. "Right then, no point standing around; might as well set up camp. Eir, Saga! Quit lying around panting; you can rest when you're dead!"

8888

Weth strode purposefully through the camp, towards the great tent that marked the command centre for the entire host. Posted outside were a pair of Praetorian Guards, who blocked her path with their weapons, demanding to know her business.

"I'm here to inform Lord Deaderuss that the Paladin's group has arrived and to carry any orders or information from his Lordship to Paladin Jago himself". The Praetorians nodded and parted, allowing Weth to enter the tent. The interior of the tent was nearly fifty feet across, and dominated by a great table, piled high with maps, charts and troop rosters. Currently, Deaderuss was stood alongside Angrboða and a handful of other generals from other races, pouring over a set of plans relating to the upcoming invasion. She cleared her throat, catching their attention and Deaderuss smiled.

"Ah Weth, it's good to see you" he said and dismissed the other generals, leaving just them and Angrboða alone in the tent. "How goes it then?" Deaderuss asked. "Have you anything to report?" Weth nodded.

"Yes. The Paladin and his team of fools have arrived and are setting up camp on the edge of our forces". Deaderuss frowned.

"They're early".

"He was told that he wasn't to dawdle at the rear of the column so he quicktimed them here ahead of the main force". Deaderuss nodded impassively and then shrugged.

"No matter. So, have you learnt anything yet my apprentice?" Weth shook her head.

"Not much" she said. "Some bad feeling between Lind and Irpa but everyone knows that. Oh and Troubadour seems none too happy about being part of their little excursion but I suppose that should be expected". Deaderuss nodded and smiled.

"You have done well my apprentice" he said. "Now listen closely; I have withdrawn the Praetorians who were posted to defend the skies over Jötunheim so as to remove the risk of our plans being detected by the Paladin's party. On top of that, I have given King Surtr warning of the intended raid so that he may prepare a little… welcoming comity for when you arrive". Weth paled for a second.

"Is that wise my Lord? To involve the giant king in these matters?" Deaderuss glared at Weth with a look of fury.

"Do not question me" he said. "You may be my apprentice but that doesn't exclude you from our laws". Weth bowed her head in submission.

"My apologies my Lord, it was not my place to question you". Deaderuss nodded and his face then softened.

"You learn fast my girl. Now, if by chance YOU are captured by the Jötunns, simply pass on this phrase; Atlas. It doesn't matter who you say it too or how you pass it on, it WILL reach King Surtr and he will ensure that no harm comes to you". Weth nodded and bowed.

"Thank you my Lord. And if the giants fail to capture them?"

"If that is the case you are to continue with the plan" said Angrboða.

"Attempt to seduce Jago away from Lind and kill him?"

"Exactly". Weth nodded.

"As you wish" she said.

"Good. Now you are free to go" said Deaderuss. Weth bowed and backed out of the tent, pulling the flaps closed behind her.

"Can we trust her?" asked Angrboða. "I know that she is willing to follow your every order but your apprentice is… inexperienced". Deaderuss shrugged.

"It matters not whether she succeeds or fails; either way, Twoarchs will not be returning from this mission. Not if he must face that dragon".

"But what if the dragon talks? He may reveal-"

"That fool of a lizard will reveal nothing! Believe me my Lady, this time, Lamb will be silenced for sure and with her, any chance of preventing Kronos's resurrection".

"If you say so my Lord" said Angrboða. "Kronos must rise". Deaderuss nodded.

"Aye and he shall".

8888

"Stop pulling it that way!" Saga said, tugging at the canvas sheet as she and Eir struggled to set up their tent.

"I can't help it, the stupid pole won't go in!" Eir snapped back.

"Those two!" said Jago, feeding twigs into the cooking fire. "Perfectly in sync right up until you ask them put up a tent and then- poof! They go to pot!"

"Even twins struggle sometimes" said Lind, casually sitting opposite him. "So what's the plan for dinner?"

"Well I thought the four basic food groups; beans, bacon, whisky and lard".

"That sounds foul!" Irpa, grimacing as Jago pulled a large pan and bottle of oil from deep inside his bergan.

"When then you're either a fool or a vegi-terrorist" said Jago. "Either way, it's traditional the day before a hard fight to have a good feed… as it may well be your last". Presently, the smell of a full fry-up began to waft across the small camp as Jago set to cooking. Eir and Saga eventually abandoned the tent and joined them around the fire, using their short cutlasses to help toast bread, while Jago went diving back into his bag, bringing out a large bottle of his deadly Suicider and taking a swig.

"Anyone else partake?" he asked, offering around the bottle.

"None for me" said Lind. "You know how that stuff affects me".

"Fair enough" said Jago. "How about you Irpa? Want a nip?"

"Not a chance" said the violet haired Captain. "Abstinence prior to battle is essential. In all forms…" She glanced across at Lind who scowled.

"I'll give it a go" said Saga, reaching for the bottle.

"Are you sure?" Jago asked. "This shit is REALLY strong, about sixty per-cent alcohol. Just a nip too much and it'll knock you flat on your arse". Saga nodded and reached for the bottle again.

"Go on, what harm could it do?" Jago set down the pan and reluctantly handed over the bottle, from which Saga took a long swig. "I don't see what all the fuss was about" she said, wiping her lips. "It doesn't-" and she keeled over backwards. Jago leaned forward and caught the bottle and the toast before she could drop them and sighed.

"I warned her" he said. "Looks like no dinner for her then".

"Will she be alright?" Eir asked, gently poking her unconscious sister.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. She just needs to sleep it off". They turned to see Jeiko making his way over to them, his robes still stained red from the dust of the road.

"Ah, you made it!" Jago said. "I gotta say; you look absolutely shattered". Jeiko nodded, taking a seat beside the fire.

"Like you have no idea" he said.

"Well it's alright; your just in time for dinner. We got sausage, eggs and nice, crispy bacon". Jeiko grimaced at the thought.

"Got any vegetables?" he asked.

"We got beans" said Jago. "And… I suppose…" He set down hi frying pan and reached into his bag, revealing a small black and yellow jar.

"And what exactly is that?" Jeiko asked.

"Well this my friend is Marmite" said Jago. "Now, I don't know what you'll think of it but love it or hate it, everyone should try it at least once". He spread a little on toast and passed it to Jeiko who bit into it. Here was a few seconds of silence. And then he yelped.

"AWW! WHAT IS THIS!" he shouted, tossing the toast away as if it were something poisonous.

"Marmite; the love it or hate it spread. Basically its boiled down beer with vegetable extract added". Jeiko spat.

"It tastes more like cyanide and slug pellets!" He snatched Jago's bottle and took a deep slug, hoping to wash away some of the taste. "Whoever invented hat stuff needs to be shot!" he said.

"Philistine" Jago said, spreading a thick wave of the stuff on his own toast. "Anyone else want some?" he asked to whish Lind raised her hand.

"No toast thanks, just a spoonful". Jago nodded and passed the spoon but before Lind could even taste it, she yelped and dropped the spoon. "That stuff isn't right!" she said. "I could feel it BURNING me without ever having touched it!" Jago cocked his head.

"Well that's going a bit far" he said but as Irpa reached to pick up the spoon, she too gave a yelp.

"That stuff is unholy!" she said holding up her hand so that her fingers were visible and in the light of the fire, they actually looked slightly burnt. Jago snorted and picked up the spoon, setting it in his pile of dishes.

"Well that's a new one; Marmite physically burns goddesses. I gonna have to keep this stuff under wraps".

"And put a biohazard warning on it!" said Lind.

"Well maybe Troubadour would-" Jago said but then realised something; their minstrel was missing. "Oh bloody Hell, where'd the fool go?"

"He went off to find Weth" said Eir, "and said he would be back later". Jago nodded and sighed, calling out Lamb and Damascus.

"Could you find our missing friends?" he asked to which the pair nodded and drifted away between the tents. "I don't know" he muttered to himself. "People always disappear just as you think you have them pinned down; especially at meal times!"

8888

Weth moved silently among the tents, pondering her Master's orders. So she was to seduce the Paladin… but how? She was young and inexperienced, having never had someone that she would call a friend, never mind a lover. But she would do her best. And probably the best way to do that was to first try and get friendly with his Archs.

"Ah! Weth, there you are!" She turned suddenly as Astrakhan Lamb came drifting from between two of the tents towards her.

"Oh well, here goes" she muttered. "Greetings Lady Lamb" she said, bowing low. Lamb snorted.

"No Lady, just Lamb" she said. "My master sent me to look for you; he said that dinner was ready and he thought you'd want to join us". Weth cocked her head.

"Why?"

"Well, we thought that you would want a good meal before we head out tomorrow". Weth paused and shook her head.

"No thank you" she said. "You're kind but-"

"Oh come on!" said Lamb. "We don't bite. And besides, my Master is a pretty good cook". Weth cocked her head.

"Why are you trying to be nice to be Lamb?" asked Weth. "I blame your Master me losing my apprenticeship to Lord Deaderuss and hate him for it so why should his angel try to be kind to me?"

"Because my Master likes you" said Lamb.

"Then why would he interfere when Lord Deaderuss-"

"Because Deaderuss was wrong to beat you simply for losing to us" said Lamb. "I may not remember much about my life as a Praetorian but I do remember just how unnecessarily brutal it was and having lived with my Master for a while now, I have learnt that there was more to life than simply living to have the crap beaten out of me". She sighed, as it was clear from the look that Weth was giving her that she didn't really understand. "Ok let me see if I can put it another way… My Master saw what was happening and he thought that it wasn't right. He has a somewhat… old-fashioned sense of honour. Anyway, he was only trying to help you, never meaning to cause you any harm. Now that is the best explanation I can give, so please Weth, would you come and eat with us?" Weth stared at the angel cautiously and then nodded.

"Alright" she said. "But I do this for myself, not for anyone else".

"That's fair enough" said Lamb with a smile. Together, they started back towards Jago's camp, quietly walking together until curiosity got the better of Weth.

"Why exactly did Jago call you Astrakhan Lamb?" she asked. "It's not exactly a common name". Lamb nodded and ran a hand through her tightly curled ringlets.

"It was my hair" she said. "An astrakhan lamb is the word given to a new born Persian lamb with very soft, tightly curled, black wool and he said that I reminded him of just such a lamb". Weth nodded but then thought of something else.

"What about before you were with Twoar- Jago? What was your name back then?" Lamb gave her a stern look.

"You know my name. Or at least, you know of it. I was Striking Twilight-"

"You were the angel of Lady Serenity?" said Weth with a look of awe. "But-"

"I'm not that person anymore" said Lamb, sternly. "Now drop it; I don't want to talk about it. I am no longer a killer". Weth went to continue but Lamb's eyes flashed from their usual turquoise to deep amber so she wisely stayed silent. They continued in silence for several minutes until Lamb decided to make amends. "I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to snap". Weth bowed her head.

"That's alright my Ladysh- Lamb" said Weth. "I should never have pushed you". Lamb nodded and then cocked her head.

"If I may ask, what is the name of YOUR angel?" Weth looked confused but after a second, answered:

"She's called Solar Radiance" said Weth, "but I would rather not bring her out if it's all the same to you". Lamb nodded.

"I understand" she said. "I was just curious". At this point they were also at the camp and Lamb chuckled as they heard Jago scolding Damascus.

"Now look; what have I told you about drawing on Saga in permanent marker? She's going to so pissed off when she wakes up!" Damascus laughed.

"That's the general idea. Now give me back my pen! I haven't finished yet; I still need to draw a willy on her forehead". There was a gulp and Damascus snorted. "Did you seriously just swallow my pen?"

"Yep" said Jago and at that moment, Lamb and Weth emerged from between the tents to a fairly comic sight. Lind and Jeiko sat on one side of the fire, glaring daggers at Irpa and Troubadour who were positioned on the other side. Except in Troubadour's case, every few seconds he would go cross-eyed as he sucked down another spoonful of Marmite. Jago was still holding the frying pan, preparing another round of food, keeping an eye on Damascus who in turn, was cackling at her own mischief beside the prone Saga. Saga herself was still sleeping, snoring quietly but it was clear that she would be blind-furious when she woke up as Damascus had given her a rather fetching goatee and glasses, the effect of which had since been spoiled by the addition of several scrawled penises and squiggly lines. Eir clearly though that his was all hilarious and was all but rolling around with laughter. It was then that Jago spotted the new arrivals.

"Ah there you are!" he said. "You're just in time for dinner!"

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They were up early the next morning. Mist had spread across the plain, dampening the grass and deadening sound as Jago's little party moved silently across the grass. They were hoping to be gone before anyone noticed but it was not to be, for as they approached the area that marked the portal into Jötunheim, they realised that there was a crowd waiting for them. And not just any crowd. Standing silently in the early morning light, was the entire allied host, all waiting for the paladin to make the first move that could well spark one of the greatest wars of all time.

"Well this is awkward" Eir whispered but Jago shushed her as they strode across the open field, towards the portal, which opened as they approached. Then pausing before it, Jago paused and turned to face the silent crowd. He removed his Stetson, saluted them and then flicked it back onto his head before turning to face the portal. It was a simple gesture but it had the desired effect; the crowd burst into a spontaneous cheer and with that, they stepped through into the snows of Jötunheim. From the other side of the portal, an Earth spirit leaned across to Jeiko.

"Five bucks says they don't come back my Lord". Jeiko snorted.

"Fifty says they do" was his reply.

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"Whoa… It's nippy out here" said Jago. And it was. Jötunheim was a bleak landscape of mountains, howling blizzards and dead forests of pines. The sky was black with storm clouds as the snow howled by with a biting cold that cut through the small group like a knife. Jago shivered and pulled his thick jacket tight around himself as Lind stepped forward, taking her place beside him.

"Cold?" she asked. Jago shrugged.

"A little" he said. "But not much more than Bulgaria in winter". He looked up at the sky and snorted and then glanced down to where the snow had started to drift around his boots. "You see, it's not the heat so much as the humidity that will kill you". He glanced at Lind's skin tight leather uniform, under her heavy jacket. "What about you? Aren't you cold?" Lind snorted.

"As a goddess, I'm extremely resilient to cold. Not only that but my uniform is temperature controlled as well as being extremely resilient to damage". Jago snorted in admiration.

"Remind me to ask for one of those for Christmas" he said and then turned back to the rest of the group. "Everyone ready?" he asked and they nodded. "Right then Troubadour, you're the guide so I suggest that you show us the way to the lair of Gandamak". Troubadour nodded and stepped forward.

"Give me a second Paladin; I need to get my bearings and work out the best route to his likely lair".

"Perhaps I can help" said Irpa. "I can tell you where we'd most likely meet Jötunn patrols and whether we'd need to make any diversions". The pair walked a little ahead of the group and paused to check out their surroundings. They were currently situated on the windward side of a mountain, with a high scree above them and a steppe slope bellow, although with a wide, open space surrounding them, like a miniature plain cut into the side of the mountain. A few minutes later, the pair returned.

"Alright" said Troubadour. "I know where we are; about three day's march from where the dragon would make his lair". Jago nodded.

"Sounds fair. Which way?" Troubadour pursed his lips and grunted to himself.

"Now that's a problem". He pointed off in one direction. "As the crow flies, that way would be the shortest route but…"

"But?" said Lind.

"That would take us perilously close to a minor Jötunn fortress and they're bound to have forces on patrol in that area" said Irpa as Troubadour pointed off in another direction.

"I would suggest that we take that route" he said. "It's further to travel but it should take us well away from the likely route of any Jötunn patrols". Jago nodded and considered for a minute.

"Irpa, you're the deep strike specialist, what would you-"

"Get down!" the Valkyrie said before Jago could finish talking to her and they all dropped to the snow.

"What is it?" hissed Weth, wriggling her way forward and Irpa pointed across the flat plain.

"Jötunn patrol". It was a large group, at least thirty giants, making their steady way across the snow.

"Ah" said Jago. "Now this is a predicament. Lind, do you think we can take them?"

"Of course we can!" said Saga, half-rising and preparing to let fly with a spell until Lind pulled her down.

"FOOL!" she hissed. "NO magic! The dragon would pick up it for sure and we'd be as good as dead!" Saga spat out a mouthful of snow and growled.

"Then what about a straight fight?"

"Well they outnumber us" said Irpa, "and using angles to even the odds would be just as dangerous as using spells. Plus, while we could probably take the on, the Jötunn fort would notice their disappearance for sure and soon, the whole region would be swarming with giants!"

"So what's the plan?" asked Jago. "Do we fight or run?"

"We can't run" said Lind. "We can't outrun Jötunns over soft snow; they'll be on us in seconds!" Jago nodded then glanced towards the edge of the slope. As the others continued their whispered argument, he peered over the edge. It was steep; near vertical in places but the bottom was covered in deep drifts and there were plenty of trees below which could provide cover. He sidled back to the group and hissed his plan;

"I have a way out" he said. "If we take that slope" gesturing in the direction of the edge, "we should be able to make it down without being spotted we can probably outrun anything that comes after us".

"Weren't you listening?" hissed Lind. "We can't outrun those things on foot!"

"We don't need our feet!" said Jago and without another word, he set off for the slope at a run, leapt into the air and then disappeared over the edge.

"JAGO!" Lind shouted and came haring over, just in time to see him land and go sliding away down the slope on his back. "Idiot!" she hissed but then she realised her mistake; she had given away their position. She turned rapidly to see the Jötunns heading towards them at some speed and she gritted her teeth. "Fuck it!" she swore. "Everyone follow Jago!" With that, she took a few steps back to get a run-up and then she too leapt over the edge and went sliding down the mountain.

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With a grunt, Jago landed in a deep drift and was instantly buried up to his neck in snow. He pulled himself up and grunted.

"Well that could have been worse". Then, at least for him, it did get worse as his team landed on him, one after the other. "Oh, you've got to be joking!"

"Well I think we made it" said Lind, pulling herself up. "Is everyone ok?"

"I got snow up my skirt!" said Eir, trying to disentangle herself from Irpa.

"Oh stop moaning!" said Saga.

"I think we all made it in one piece" said Weth but then looked around. "Where's the Paladin?" She heard grumbling from beneath her and moved aside to reveal the group's leader. "Sorry what did you say?"

"I said; get your fat arse of my head" said Jago. He heaved himself up and out of the snow, brushing himself off as he went. "Did you all really have to land on me?" he asked indignantly.

"Well it's your own fault for going off without telling us what you were doing". Jago grinned sheepishly and turned to Troubadour.

"Right, we're all here so which way do we go?" Troubadour paused and then then pointed off through the trees.

"That way" he said. "We're going to have to take the short route close to the fortress I'm afraid because your detour means we can't reach the high road".

"And we'd better get moving" said Irpa. "Those giants know we're here now and it won't be long until they find us if we don't move".

"Right then" said Jago, hefting his pack. "Troubadour, you're on point. Everyone else, follow the tree spirit".

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From above the Jötunns watched as the small group slowly started melting away into the forest. The leader; a strapping brute of nearly fifteen feet in height, leered down as his quarry escaped.

"The cowards saw us coming and have fled" he muttered. He turned to his second in command, a heavily scared fourteen footer with just a single glowing eye, the other covered by a patch. "Which way would they head?" the leader growled. The second thought for a second.

"They'll head for the pass to the South-East of the fortress and then cut North towards the High Peaks. That is where the dragon hides and that is surely where they must head for". The leader nodded and turned to face the distant peaks. He growled himself and ground his tombstone like teeth.

"We shall head for frozen meadow, just above the pass and ambush them there. They are bound to use it as an encampment and are likely to let their guard down if they think we have lost their trail". The smaller giant growled in dissatisfaction.

"Are you sure? That is Frost-fiend territory". The leader turned to his smaller companion and growled.

"You dare challenge my authority?" The smaller giant baulked and back off a little.

"No sir, it's just-"

"You should be careful when you question your superiors" he said, running his hand along the hilt of his great knife, its blade a single piece of polished bone. "If you were to continue to be so brazen then you may well lose you remaining eye". The smaller giant nodded and bowed his head.

"My apologies sir. I will have the troops move out immediately". He turned towards the assembled troops and let out a great roar. "RIGHT THEN! WE TAKE THAT ROAD!"

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Jago crouched silently in the snow, looking out between the trees, his heavy elephant gun in his hands. Weth crouched silently beside him, looking out towards their target.

"How far by your reckoning?" Jago asked her, raising his rifle and taking aim as Saga dropped down beside them.

"About five-hundred yards" she Weth said. "Are you really going to shoot them?" Jago glanced across at her.

"What do you think?" he said. "Saga, I'd say wind at ten knots on the cheek. Is that about right?" Saga paused and tested the wind herself.

"I'd say closer to twelve knots, intermittent" Jago nodded and twitched his rifle a fraction to the left.

"When I fire, be ready to run. You two gotta be right on them as soon as I fire". The pair nodded and each prepared for a fight; Saga pulling her cutlass free while Weth drew her knife. "Ready?" Jago asked and they nodded. He took and deep breath and lined up on his target, before gently squeezing the trigger. The rifle kicked back with the force of an angry mule and the massive eight-bore shell spat forth and there was a flurry in the snow as a jet of red stained the ground. Instantly Weth and Saga burst forth from their hiding place and disappeared into the snow. Jago sat quietly as the smoke from his weapon cleared and then stood, peering out across the small meadow. "Did I get him?" he called out.

"You got him" Saga called out. "I still think it's cheating; I mean, hunting deer with an elephant gun!" Jago crossed the snowy meadow and paused beside the animal, lowering himself to his knees.

"Well what do you suggest? Oh I suppose you'd want me to chase it down with my bare hands?" he drew his khukuri and gestured for the pair to look away. Both Weth and Saga turned and faced away from him as he used his heavy knife to gut the animal. "Ah… never pleasant" he muttered, wiping the blade on the creature's fur.

"How can killing something come so easily to you?" Weth asked with a note of disgust as she turned back around to face him. Jago wiped his hands in clean on the snow and coughed.

"It doesn't" he said. "You think I don't feel it? Killing something is always horrible, unless you're some kind of psycho. It's just that I choose to ignore it as and when I need to". Weth paused and nodded as Jago handed his rifle to Saga and lifted the small deer onto his shoulders. "At least we'll have fresh meat" he said as they started to make their way back towards the camp. "I thought tonight perhaps a stew, with the venison as a base with maybe some spuddies and other goodies for flavour with maybe-" But he stopped as a strange noise started to echo through the mountains. A weird, rumbling drone that seemed to grow and fade in waves. "Oh shit" said Jago and without any explanation, he threw down the deer carcass and snatched his rifle from Saga before starting off at a dead run back towards the camp. It took a few seconds for the girls to catch up with him, as her hurdled a half buried log and rolled to absorb the impact.

"What is it Jago?" Saga gasped as she tried to keep up with the big man who ploughed on, relentless as a steam train.

"What's that noise?" Weth asked, catching up to the pair.

"That sound? It's a bullroarer. And it means that our mates have got themselves into a total clusterfuck".

"A what?"

"It means that we're all goanna die!"

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They had followed an old goat track up into the mountains, to a frozen meadow that Troubadour knew of. Twice they had been forced to stop and hide because of because Jötunn patrols but overall, they had made good time and by evening, they had reached their intended camp site. They had set under an overhang of the cliff face so that they were sheltered from the worst of the weather. Tents were pitched and a fire was made, with Irpa electing to take the first watch. Jago however, was uneasy. There was something amiss but he couldn't put his finger on it. As such, there was only one thing to do;

"Right, I'm going out to catch some fresh meat" he said, stowing his pack and most of his gear in his and Lind's shared tent, leaving his with just his rifle, his khukuri and a single knife.

"Is that wise?" Troubadour asked. "We shouldn't get separated; it invites ambush. And while you are probably the best fighter amongst us, there are predators out there that strike with speed and surprise". Jago nodded and went back to his bag, pulling out a pair of elongated wooden ovals, each with a cord attached to one end.

"Here you go" he said, tossing one to Troubadour. "It's a bullroarer; swing it above your head as fast as you can and it'll make a noise that'll carry for miles. And if I hear it, I'll come back a-shootin!" he tucked his own bullroarer under his belt and made for the edge of the camp.

"I'm coming too" said Lind but Jago frowned.

"That may not be such a good idea" he said. "To have the two best fighters away from the camp at the same time would…" He didn't bother to finish but Lind nodded.

"At least take someone with you" she said so Jago nodded and turned to the younger group members.

"Weth, Saga, you tow are coming with me" the pair nodded and after saying their goodbyes, the small party disappeared into the woods.

"It's quiet without them" said Eir, sitting down beside Lind and drawing up knees to her chest. The Valkyrie nodded silently, making Eir sigh. "Well, at least we've made good time today-"

"Why did you come girl?" Lind asked, not taking her eyes of the fire. "You and your sister are too young to be in a place like this. What Jago was thinking asking you two to come?" This last bit she said to herself but Eir looked guilty none the less.

"Actually… we asked him". Lind turned to look at the younger goddess, confused.

"You volunteered?" Eir nodded.

"That's right. You see, Saga and I wanted to prove that we are capable of so that we would be accepted into the Goddess Relief Office. Possibly not the smartest plan but…" Lind snorted.

"That would be an understatement. I hope that you and your sister realise that Jago will be relying on the pair of you when push comes to shove and I should also point out that at that point, there is a very real chance of one or both of you being killed". Eir nodded and they both returned to silence, the crackle of the fire and the sound of the wind the only sounds that could be heard.

"If you don't mind me asking Captain but where did you get the jacket from? I've never known a Valkyrie to wear anything other than her uniform". Lind looked down at the thick, black leather and let a brief smile play across her lips.

"It was a present from Jago, on the first night that we were together. He thought it suited me". Eir nodded and smiled.

"You're lucky. Jago's a good man, if a little odd". Lind nodded.

"Aye, that he is". They lapsed back into silence, with just the crackle of the flames and the howl for the wind as company. Presently, Troubadour appeared and sat down by the fire, opposite the pair but didn't say anything, just rubbed his ears in order to help maintain the blood flow to the delicate tips. Shortly however, they heard a brief scrabble and Irpa appeared under the ledge, gasping.

"I saw something. Up above us. Looked like giants". Lind nodded and motioned for the other two to remain seated while she and Irpa checked it out. They pushed their way through the falling snow until they reached Irpa's lookout; a large rock, half buried in a snow drift from where Irpa pointed upwards, towards an overhead mound. "There" she pointed. "There was movement among those rocks. Look like at least one, possibly more". Lind peered out from the rock, looking up towards the lip of the ridge. She couldn't see much as she stared upwards, until she spotted what she thought was movement. And then a flash of red. She pulled back.

"I see them. At least one, possibly more". Irpa nodded and wordlessly drew her broadsword.

"I'll keep watch" she hissed. "Get the others ready for a fight. If we can kill these scouts before they can escape then-" but she stropped, realising something horrible. "Oh no" she whispered.

"What is it?" Lind asked.

"Those aren't snow drifts" said Irpa, pointing out across the hillside to the seemingly random piles of snow that were scattered across the slope. And it was at this point, the snow exploded.

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Troubadour and Eir heard an enormous roar from outside the camp and were on their feet in an instant. Eir had her cutlass and troubadour his rapier as they charged out, only to be met by a pair of howling frost giants. They were horrifying brutes; seven foot tall, with deep blue skin, thick, matted black hair and eyes glowing like red coals, each clutching a bone bladed knife in their thick hands. They charged forwards and Eir dodged back, ducking under the scything blade. With a shout, she kicked hard up and her foot connected sharply with the giant's crotch. The bellowing beast went cross-eyed and collapsed, right onto Eir's sword which ran the giant through as it fell. She grunted with effort, heaving the dead giant off of herself and turned to see Troubadour who had already dispatched his first giant and was currently duelling with another pair. Eir darted forward but before she could reach them, Troubadour had dispatched his two foes.

"Are you alright girl?" he asked and Eir nodded.

"I'm fine" and together, they went out into the storm, weapons at the ready. As they emerged, they saw just how dire the situation was; Lind and Irpa were stood back-to-back, holding back a hoard of giants, but had now become encircled, leaving them trapped. Meanwhile, a seconds group of giants were descending the slope towards them, clearing intending to overrun their camp, Troubadour turned to Saga and thrust something into her hands; the long wooden oval of the bullroarer.

"Quickly girl! Take this! We need the Paladin but I don't have time to use this!" He turned away, racing towards the new group of giants, brandishing his rapier.

"But how do I use this?" Eir called desperately after him.

"Spin it above your head!" And so she did. After just a few seconds, the device began to drone; a whirring, tone that seemed to rise and fall of its own accord. It was a sound that would carry for miles, even through the falling snow and howling wind. She kept it up as long as she dared, hoping against hope that she would spot Jago's approach; a black Stetson against the snow. But it was not to be as she suddenly felt something thump heavily into the bullroarer and tear it from her hands. She looked across to where it landed and saw, to her horror, a quarrel buried deep in the wooden oval. She looked up in dread and their they were; half a dozen of the smaller giants. With crossbows!

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Saga and Weth were struggling to keep up with Jago as he charged forward, through the snow. He may be heavier that they were but crucially, he was much taller and so it was easier for him to pull himself free whenever he sank. It wasn't until they were almost at the camp that he eventually slowed that they were able to catch up to him. He preceded at a walk, taking time to eject the spent cartridge from his rifle and slotted another into the empty barrel.

"So what's the plan?" Saga gasped as they rounded the final corner, bringing the camp into sight. Jago dropped to his knees as he peered out across the snow, chewing his lip. From what he could make out, it wasn't looking good. The other four members of their group were huddled together, completely surrounded by giants although they appeared to be keeping their distance for the moment, probably because several of their number were lying dead around the group. However, it didn't appear to be going all in their favour as Irpa appeared to be moving awkwardly, as if injured plus, every few seconds, they would duck as something came whizzing down from the hills towards them. Crossbows.

"Right… here's the plan; I need you two to charge towards that hill top" Jago said, pointing to the slope above the camp. "I'll cover you".

"WHAT!" Weth shouted. "No way am I doing that! Those crossbows-"

"There are half a dozen of them scatter among rocks above the camp, judging from direction of the shots and the rate of fire. Now, I can pick them off from here but I need you two to draw fire so that I tell exactly where they are. Not only that but it might keep the others alive longer if they don't have arrows flying past their heads every few seconds". Saga nodded and charged forwards, swinging her cutlass. Weth however refused to move.

"There's no way I'm going out there!" she shouted. "What if you miss and-"Jago didn't answer, just lifted his rifle and fired. There was a squeal from the rocks and he fired again to the same result.

"I don't miss" he said. "Even at nine-hundred yards". He leapt up, charging forwards to a new position from which he could fire on the crossbow troopers. Weth had followed him but stopped when he did, crouching low in the snow.

"But-"

"I don't have time for buts" said Jago. He sighted on a crossbowman but his target ducked back behind a rock so he rapidly switched one of the giants surrounding the group, swinging the barrel of his big gun around and he fired again, watching as one of them dropped. "Now if you don't have anything useful to contribute, then I suggest that you either stay here or piss off!" Jago leapt up and raced forward, leaving her alone in the snow, unsure as to what to do now.

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Irpa grunted in pain as she yanked the crossbow quarrel from her thigh and slapped her hand to the wound, the other still clutching her sword.

"We appear to be at a disadvantage" she said, aiming a swing as one of the giants stepped to close. In the meantime, Lind ducked as another quarrel whizzed past her head, purring like a maddened cat.

"You could say that" she admitted, swinging her halberd at an especially large giant that leapt back yelping, grasping its severed thumb.

"Where the hell is the Paladin?" Troubadour asked. "We used the device but he hasn't come!" Lind gritted her teeth.

"Patience! He will come!" As if on cue, they heard a deep bang, followed quickly by another, both accompanied by the squeal of giants in pain. "Ah! Speak of the devil!" she said with a smile. They could now make out the shape of a lone figure dressed in purple coming bounding down the slopes towards them, brandishing a weapon in her hand.

"It's Saga!" Eir called out excitedly but then paused as her sister started performing series of jumps and summersaults about halfway down the hill. "What's she doing?" There was another bang and one of the closer giants dropped to the ground writhing, at which point they saw the crossbows turn towards the acrobatic little figure only for one of them to go down to another shot.

"She's drawing fir so Jago can take out the crossbows!" Lind said. "Now's our chance! VALKYRIES!" she bellowed and charged forwards, hacking a path through Jötunns as she went. The others followed her charge, each shouting their own war cries as they went and for a few seconds, there was a furious melee as they fought to break through the giants and reach the others. Then they were clear, with nothing but a few hundred yards of snowy slope between them and Jago. They heard another cry from further ahead and for the first time, they could see Jago, engaged in a knife fight with a trio of giants, his khukuri in hand;

"AYO GORKHALI!" he bellowed and they watched as he sliced hard across his body, decapitating one of the giants with a single blow. He spun to face another opponent as the third attempted to sneak in behind him but before it could strike, it let out a roar of pain, stumbling forward with a Weth's thrown knife buried deep in its back. And then… there came a rumble.

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The Jötunn leader snarled as he ducked for cover behind one of the huge boulders as another of his crossbowmen went down in a spray of blood.

"They have a sniper!" his Lieutenant snarled, peeking out from around the rock to see a tiny figure performing some sort of acrobatics show just within range of the crossbows, effortlessly dodging the incoming shots. In reply, the sniper fired of another shot, killing one of the soldiers down in the valley and then picking off another crossbowman. The leader ground his teeth and turned towards the Lieutenant.

"Take a half-dozen men and kill that sniper!" he growled. "Without him, the crossbows can go back to work. The Lieutenant nodded and with a growl, he led six of the giants forward, using the deep snow drifts and the large boulders as cover as they made their way towards the figure of the sniper. He watched as the sniper changed his aim and four of the advancing giants went down but the remaining pair plus the Lieutenant charged forwards, brandishing their knives as they charged. The sniper tossed aside his rifle and drew a strange, leaf-bladed knife before charging forwards to meet the oncoming giants. He was smaller than Jötunns but he attacked with an unexpected ferocity and then there was a shout as the trapped group managed to break through the encircling ring of giants, charging towards the melee. The acrobat had by now turned and was heading back towards the sniper, brandishing a short cutlass in her hand. The leader watched as the sniper killed one opponents with a single blow and quickly turned towards the Lieutenant while the third giant looped around behind him, preparing to strike, only to go down following the appearance of a third assailant. The leader ground his teeth and snarled. And then the rumbling started. He turned to look up at the mountain that stretched up above him. And there, riding down on wings of destruction, came a horrifying beast of nightmare; an avalanche giant. A Frost-fiend.

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Jago tossed aside his rifle as the remaining three giants came barrelling down the slopes towards him, long knives in hand. He drew his khukuri and grinned.

"So you wanna paly rough do you?" he shouted and he charged forwards, catching the movement as Saga turned to run back and join him. The giants were all taller than him, two seven footers and a huge fourteen footer. He must be the leader Jago decided and so, he should be the one to die. He suddenly dropped to his knees as he reached the giants and sliding under a low swung blade. He back swung his khukuri, slicing through the calf of one of the smaller giants, hamstringing it and forcing it to its knees. "AYO GORKHALI!" he bellowed and brought a two-handed chop down on the neck of the giant, slicing its head clean off. Foul, black ichor soaked his hands as he kicked the headless corpse aside and spun around to face the largest giant. There was shout behind him and he saw the third giant go down with a knife in his back, as Weth charged forward, shrieking with rage. "Finally grew a backbone did you?" Jago shouted and then turned his attention back to the remaining giant. And then the rumbling started. They all turned to see a wall of snow that was sweeping down towards them at the speed of sound. "Oh crap" said Jago, grabbing his hat and holding on tight as the avalanche swept over the top of him and his little rescue party.

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_The Frost-fiend had been dozing high up on the slopes of the mountain, sleeping through the, what was for Jötunheim, mild weather, waiting for a blizzard so that it could descend into the valleys to hunt. However, a sound had disturbed it and it poked its vulture like head clear of the snow bank to investigate. The sound had been a bang. A gunshot. And the avalanche giant glared down at the valley bellow as the fight unfolded; the frost giant's ambush, their surrounding of the smaller group, the arrival of Jago's rescue team and the Jötunns failed counterattack. And it hissed to itself. These trespassers were in its territory and so, it responded in the only way it knew how. Spreading its great wings, the beast began to swipe at the slopes, freeing the snow around it until, with a rumble, the whole slope had begun to slide. It would sweep these pests away and then, it would feed. Feed on them, that is. _

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There was no time for Lind to do anything. She and her group were too far away to help as the mighty Frost-fiend came screaming down the slopes, surfing the waves of its avalanche as it came steamrollering down towards Jago's rescue party and before her eyes, she watched as Jago, Weth, Saga and the last of the giants attacking them were swept away by the onrushing wall of destruction. And over the edge of a cliff. The slope was steep until it reached their little meadow but the meadow itself terminated on one side in a vertical drop into a deeper valley. A drop of five thousand feet. She briefly saw Jago's head erupt from the wall of snow, holding someone's head above the snow; it looked like Saga's.

"JAGO!" Lind screamed and then they were gone, swept over the edge of the cliff and out into oblivion. "NOOOOO!" Lind shrieked and she fell to her knees. There was nothing else she could do. She sank to her knees, sure in the knowledge that her lover was dead for no being; deity of human could survive a fall like that. She heard voices shouting around her as she wept openly, hot tears running down her face, only to freeze on her cheeks. She felt hands grasping at her, trying to lift her, to drag her but she was completely unresponsive. There was another shout and the hands disappeared as the sound of fighting echoed around her until this finally faded once more into silence. And then there was a blade under her chin, lifting her tear stained face to peer at her.

"Well, well, well" said the Jötunn leader. "Would you look at who we have here".

**Authors Note: Pc still out of action but weathe rhas been so nasty that I've spent a lot of time in the libary and because of this, I managed to get this knocked out a little faster thn I thought I would. Hope you enjoy it. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**A Rescue Mission?**

The Jötunn leader grinned down at Lind as she knelt in the snow, flashing his tombstone teeth.

"You are the last person I expected to see here Captain" he said, spitting as his spoke. "Who would have thought that the One-winged Terror herself would accompany such a suicide detail, even if you were accompanying the Paladin". He leaned forward, pressing the blade of his knife against her throat. "And why would one such as you… cry? Surely a mighty warrior like you does not cry for the loss of three souls? Or maybe it is the loss of just one?" He leered down as Lind jerked her face aside in shame, trying to hide her tears. Across from her, she could see the others, all forced to kneel, all prisoners of the giants. Troubadour looked solemn but nothing more while Eir wept for the loss of her sister. Irpa however, glared accusingly at Lind and she knew why; had she not broken down with grief, they could still have beaten the giants but because of her, now they were all prisoners to the Jötunns. They had failed, because of her weakness. She then felt a savage pain as the Jötunn leader hauled her to her feet by her hair. "You will be a fine enough feather in my cap, even if with our losses and without the body of the Paladin to show for it". He pushed her towards a pair of pair of waiting giants who seized Lind from behind, binding her hands behind her. "Bring them all" said the leader. "His Lordship will want to inspect his prize before they are turned over to the King". With that, they were hauled to their feet and herded down the hill, towards the Jötunn fortress that lay beyond. An uncertain fate awaited them, with only one thing that could be said for sure; they were not going to survive.

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The cell door clanged shut to cackles of laughter, leaving Lind and Irpa alone. They had been separated from Troubadour and Eir as they were Valkyries and could therefore escape from any normal cell and placed in one specially designed to contain high powered entities. Not that it mattered; Irpa was barely able to stand, so badly had her leg been injured by the crossbow quarrel while Lind had become despondent. So now, their wrists were manacled behind them, a length of chain binding them to the wall via a ring set deep into the rock. As the sound of laughter faded, Irpa turned to face Lind.

"Well done Lind" she said accusingly. "You really dropped us in it". Lind didn't respond, just hung her head dejectedly. "Why didn't you fight Lind? With your strength, we could have-"

"It's all a big joke" Lind whispered. Irpa stopped mid-rant, looking confused.

"What?" she asked, cocking her head. Lind looked at her with her tear stained face and managed a thin smile.

"It was something that Jago once said; he had seen the joke in life and had realised that it was on him and so, no matter how bleak things were, he would try to live life as best he could in hope that one day, things would get better. I suppose he was right about one thing… life's joke really was on him". She chuckled to herself. "That stupid, brilliant, daft bastard!" She laughed a little more until her chuckles slowly turned once more to tears. Irpa cleared her throat.

"There's always hope Lind" she said. "We didn't actually SEE him die so-" but the look on Lind's face was enough to silence her.

"Irpa, that drop was over five-thousand feet with thousands of tons of ice coming down on top of them! Not to mention a Frost-fiend!" Her eyes dropped. "No, Jago is dead. Nothing and nobody could have survived that fall". She returned to weeping and Irpa shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to do. Lind had always been so strong; a bulwark of strength and courage amongst the Valkyries; completely, totally and utterly unbreakable. It was part of the reason that she had always hated her. But now, this mightiest of warriors was weeping like a child, her fighting spirit completely broken by loss. Gingerly, wincing in pair rom her thigh, Irpa shuffled over to Lind and let her lay her head in her lap. It may have been Lind's fault that they had been captured but she was now beginning to understand just how broken Lind was. The loss of Jago had nearly killed her. And now, all she felt was pity for the other Valkyrie.

"I think I understand now Lind; you truly loved that human… the Paladin. And he loved you too". Lind sniffed and made an affirmative sound. "I thought that you were a traitor but now I know, you were simply in love. I'm… sorry. I should never have judge something that I didn't understand. I just wish that I had understood sooner". Lind said nothing, just closed her eyes and whimpered. And so Irpa began to sing…

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Out in the snows of Jötunheim, the Frost-fiend picked its way around the base of the cliff, searching for prey. It had found the Jötunn lieutenant under a mound of ice, still alive but paralyzed by a broken neck. A quick flick of its claws had killed the giant and the snow had run red with blood as it had fed on the ice-cold flesh. Its feast over, the avalanche giant continued to search, hunting for the rest of those who had disturbed its slumber. Suddenly, there was a hissing sound and a patch of snow began to glow pale pink, drawing the attention of the monster. It lumbered over, scratching at the surface with its claws and dragging its wings as it went. The glow was becoming more intense as it leaned forward, staring. Suddenly, a bright light shot through the snow and an arm thrust the flare deep into the beast's nostril. It shrieked and tried to yank the white-hot brand from its nose as the magnesium tip scorched the inside of its beak. With a bellow, the monster turned and fled, going screaming into the night. In the meantime, the arm retracted back into the snow and then heaved upward, showing the huge clumps off of itself.

"NASTY… GOBLINSES!" Jago said, pulling himself to his feet and dusting the snow off of his jacket as he looked across in the direction that the Frost-fiend had gone . Saga's head emerged from the hole and she shook herself, dusting the snow from her hair.

"So the flare worked" she said as Jago lifted her from the hole. "I would never have thought to burn our way out".

"I'm just glad there was enough air for it to work" said Jago. "And that we managed to scare off that monster-beast before it could eat us". He looked around at the half buried valley and then up at the cliff. "Although really, we should be glad to be alive at all". Saga nodded and looked up at the cliff above them.

"How did we survive? The last thing I remember was you hold off me before we went over the edge". Jago shrugged.

"I used an old trick I used to use when I was a kid; I pulled my jacket inside out and over my head and used it like a parachute. Use to do the same thing all the time, just run in to the wind and jump. Could fly ten feet if you got it right". Saga looked at him sceptically.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Of course I am. It was a shot in a million but I thought that it was a better chance than if we simply fell". Saga paused and nodded.

"Well I'm grateful" she said. "I have to admit, I thought we were goners".

"Are you two alright?" they hear someone say and they saw Weth emerge from a snow-bank.

"Ah Weth! You made it lassie!" Jago boomed in his best Scottish accent. Weth nodded.

"I'm not entirely sure how we survived but we did". Jago grinned.

"Well at least we're all in one piece" he said at which point Weth blushed a little.

"I was also able to save this before we went over" she said, holding out Jago's rifle. He grinned and took it gently.

"Good work lass!" he said, cocking the gun and checking the action on it. All seemed in good order so he slung it back across his shoulder and reached into his pocket, drawing a slightly crushed packet of cigarettes, using a match to light one. He took a drag at the wonky fag and then grinned. "Right" he said. "Let's get back up there. They'll be missing us".

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The camp had been completely wrecked by the giants; the tents had been burned and most of the gear had either been taken or destroyed. Saga had almost broken down when she saw this but Jago had been able to reassure her;

"Well they aren't dead" he said, crouching down. "Footprints say they were captured. All were alive when they left and there's a good chance that if they were taken alive, then they are probably still alive now".

"That's not exactly much good to us then" said Weth. "So what do we do?" Jago stood and looked around the camp, wrinkling his lips.

"Alright; you two search the camp and find what you can. Anything that looks like it might still work or might be useful, even if it's broken. I'm gonna scout out a route and try to work out where exactly they were taken. He unslung his rifle and loaded a couple of rounds. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes" he said and Weth and Saga nodded. With that, he was gone, disappearing into the snow.

"Well said Saga, "we'd better get on with it".

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Jago was back sooner than expected, much to the girls' surprise.

"Did you find them?" Saga asked, looking worried.

"No but I have a pretty good idea where they are" said Jago. "There's a Jötunn fort not far from here and I'm willing to bet that they'll be somewhere inside; probably in a dungeon". Saga sagged.

"Then they're as good as dead" she said. "There's no way we can break in without an army behind us". Jago grinned.

"Who needs an army when you have me?" Weth wrinkled her lips in uncertainty.

"You have a plan?" she asked but Jago shook his head.

"Nope. And that should scare them more than they know".

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"Ok, sitrep" said Jago, inspecting the pile of gear they had managed to salvage. "Weapons; one eight-bore rifle, one shotgun with cosmetic damage but otherwise fully functional, one .45 revolver, all with ammo. I have my khukuri, a folding knife, a mora and a… tactical boot knife" he said, unclipping the last weapon from his calf and adding it to the pile. "Saga, what have you got?"

"I've got a cutlass" she said. "That's it". Jago nodded and turned to Weth.

"What about you lass?" Weth pulled her throwing knife from its sheath and then reached under the skirt of her tunic and pulled a vicious Khyber knife from her thigh.

"That's it I'm afraid" she said. "You broke my spear and I haven't got anything heavier ". Jago nodded and wrinkled his lips.

"Not exactly an arsenal is it?" he said. "What about the rest of our kit?" Saga turned to the other pile, searching for anything of use.

"We have this" she said, holding up a dented can of WD-40. Jago took it and slipped it under his jacket.

"I'd better hold onto that" he said. "It's extremely flammable. What else?" Saga and Weth both shrugged.

"A jar of marmite" said Weth. "Some survival biscuits; the kind you'd find on a life-boat. A few broken tent poles… oh and a bottle". She pulled it from under the pile and Jago laughed.

"How about that!" he said, taking the Suicider from Saga and shook it. It sounded about half full so he took a draft and then pushed the bottle into his jacket. "Now back to business" he said. "I've got a couple more flares and some dynamite on my person… oh and some Para-cord, good for about five-hundred pounds of dead-weight. You two have anything?" Both girls shook their heads. Jago sighed. "Right then… so… storming the castle, the loony way" he said and picked up his khukuri and folding knife. "Grab your weapons" he said, indicating the pile and the girls did. After a pause, Jago tossed his mora to Saga. "Extra protection" he said and Saga nodded, slipping the short blade into the hem of her skirt. Jago then stared down at the three guns, trying to figure how best to use them. "Weth, take the shotgun" he said. "At close ranges at least, it should be as good as any spear". Weth looked unsure but nodded, hefting the heavy weapon as Jago picked up the revolver. He snapped it open, checked the chambers and then holstered it before unslinging the holster and passing it to Saga. "And you had better take this" he said. Saga pouted.

"Why do I get the little gun?" she said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jago asked. "If you must know, I have three reasons. One; Weth has no heavy weapon so she needs something other than a big knife to fight with. Two; you are the most athletic of the three of us and this thing is heavy. It would really mess up your fighting style if you were to carry this thing and try and fight at the same time. Finally; I'm the only one who is physically strong enough to fire this thing. Those other two guns" he said, gesturing towards the pistol and shotgun, "use smokeless propellant whereas this thing" he said, tapping the rifle, "uses good old-fashioned black powder. Which means it kicks like a bloody mule. And you're so small that a single shot will have you on your back. That enough reasons for you?"

"Alright" she said, slipping the revolver under her arm. "So we're armed. What do we do now?"

"We eat" said Jago, picking up one of the packet of biscuits. "And then you help a bloody lunatic storm a fortress! Or at the very least, you can come and watch me get my head get blown off".

"What are our chances of getting in?" Weth asked.

"Fair" said Jago.

"What are the chances of us doing it and coming out alive?" she asked. Jago grinned and flicked his wrist so fast that she couldn't see what happened, only that there was a sudden rush of wind just above her scalp. She reached up and felt Jago's folding knife which had just parted her hair down the middle and embedded itself in the rock behind her.

"Better than average" Jago said with a shrug.

"Yeah… I'll go along with that".

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The little group peered down from the slopes above the fortress. Jago grimaced as he looked down via a pocket telescopes, trying to find some weakness in the defences. It didn't look good. The fort was located on an outcrop of rock, cut off from the rest of the mountain and only accessible via two narrow bridges. The defences consisted of two sets of walls, both interspersed with towers. The outer wall was higher, almost a hundred feet but was crumbling, its parapet having long since gone and without a gate. The inner wall was much lower, only about thirty feet but was heavily defended and unlike the rest of the fortress, it appeared to be in good repair.

"Ok" said Jago, "I can see two ways in; one at the North entrance and one to the South. Both heavily guarded". He turned to Weth and handed her his telescope. "Any way you think?" Weth took the telescope and glanced at the defences, pursing her lips.

"I'm not sure… perhaps if we dynamited the gate?" she asked. Jago shook his head.

"No good" he said. "They'd kill the prisoners before we got there". Weth nodded.

"I guess you're right" she said. "I suppose if there was some way we could sneak close to the walls, we might be able to find a way in without being seen but…"

"Yep, it would be impossible to get that close without being seen. At least for me". He gave a grim smile. "I guess for one that being big isn't an advantage".

"Perhaps I could have a look?" Saga suggested. "I'm the smallest here and I might be able to sneak close without being spotted". Weth gave a snort of derision.

"You?" she sneered. "What could you do?"

"No wait a minute" said Jago, "Let's just hear her out". He turned to Saga. "What's the plan lass?" Saga held out her hand for the telescope and used it for a quick inspection of the outer defences.

"You see where the wall is crumbling?" she said, pointing. "If I use that rope of yours and maybe fashion a grapnel out of the leftover tent pegs, I might be able to make it to the outer wall and do a proper recon from there". Jago paused and nodded.

"You think you can make it?" he asked. "There isn't much cover on that bridge".

"I think so" said Saga. "There's a regular pattern to the patrols on the inner wall. The gaps between them aren't long enough for me to make it all the way to the inner wall but to the outer wall certainly and I can do recon from the tower". Jago paused and nodded.

"Alright" he said and fished in his pocket for the length of Para-cord and the tent peg, quickly fashioning a crude but workable grapnel which he handed to her. "I'll cover you as best I can from here" he said and Saga nodded. Then Jago thought of something and pulled one of the flares out of his pocket. "If you get into trouble, light this and I'll drop some lead on those mother-fuckers" he said. "However, bear in mind that the moment you light it, it will give away our presence and the rescue will be off… Either that or we'll have to go in for an immediate frontal attack". Saga nodded.

"Wish me luck" she said and then in an instant, she was gone, disappearing down the slope and out towards the fortress, leaving Weth and Jago alone.

"Do you think she can do it?" Weth asked, watching the acrobatic little figure as she slowly descended the slope, leaping from boulder to boulder. Jago shrugged.

"Dunno. Probably. She's certainly got a better chance than either of us would have". He grinned. "I just realised that she'd better make it back; the little bugger still has my telescope!" Weth snorted and turned her attention back to Saga who had taken cover behind a boulder, not far from the outer gate. And then she turned back to Jago who was aiming down rifle, tracking Saga with his sights. And she grinned. Now was her chance; if she could seduce Jago while Saga was away…

Ok, now wasn't ideal but the more confusion she could sow, the better. If Jago was distracted then there was a good chance that the giants would be able to kill him. And if not, then she could always deal with him herself. Now what had her Master taught her? Ah yes! As quietly as she could, she shuffled over to him and leaned against him, pressing her side against his.

"Cold?" he asked.

"No" said Weth. "Just curious". Jago cocked his head a little but didn't say anything, turning his attention back to Saga. Weth grunted inwardly in frustration. She needed to ratchet it up a little. She leaned forward and squeezed his arm gently.

"Jago?" she asked, trying to make her voice as husky as possible. "I want you to do something for me". Jago turned in astonishment, throwing her off balance and knocking her backward.

"What the Hell?" he said, sounding surprised. Weth sat back, licked her lips and gave a long, slow blink.

"Jago, I need you know something" she said. "I have never felt the touch of a man and… I want you". Jago paused for a second, looking uncertain. He opened his mouth, thinking.

"No" he said, shaking his head with a grin and he turned back to fortress. Weth was taken aback; had she done something wrong? Maybe she hadn't done enough? So she tried again.

"Please Jago" she said as he reluctantly turned to look at her. She ran a hand down the length of her leg as she ran it back up, she started to hitch up her skirt, exposing a generous portion of thigh. "We both know you want to" she whispered.

"No I really don't" said Jago, trying to ignore her.

"But why not? I'm young and you must be so frustrated. I mean being separated from Lind and all".

"Aye, I'm frustrated but not in that way" he said. "And Lind is part of the reason that I would never have sex with you". Weth looked astonished by his frankness.

"Lind? What has she got that I don't have? I'm younger than she is! I'm better looking! I'm-"

"Inexperienced?" said Jago. "Look, you're a nice girl Weth but you're really not my type".

"And that skank of a Valkyrie is?" Jago scowled.

"Don't you bloody dare dis Lind" he said with a warning growl. "Yes you're younger; too young for me. I'm…" He counter on his fingers, making sure. "I'm twenty and you're probably several thousand years old but you LOOK about sixteen which is too young for me. Plus, you're level of maturity is that of a teenager and that's kinda off-putting". Weth glowered, as Jago reoriented on Saga with his rifle. "Besides, I could never leave Lind. I love her and she loves me; it's as simple as that". He grinned. "And if I can say so, that was the clumsiest bit of seduction I have ever encountered!" Weth balked but saw that now, she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. Unless… She leaned forward, tugging his head aside and kissed him, hard on the lips. He spluttered, pushed her away and to her horror, he drew his khukuri. "NOW THAT'S ENOUGH!" he said. "I HUMOURED YOU FOR A FEW MINUTES BUT NOW MY PATIENCE HAS REACHED IT'S END! NOW LISTEN; YOU TRY A STUNT LIKE THAT AGAIN AND I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" With that, he sliced his wrist and then rammed his knife home with a grunt. He stood over her cowering form, hands on hips and breathing hard. Then however, he seemed to sag inwardly and his face softened before bending down and offering her a hand. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you but you shouldn't try that on a married man". Weth frowned and took his hand, using it to pull herself to her feet.

"But you and Lind aren't married" she said.

"Oh we're married" said Jago. "We just haven't got around to doing the legal bit yet". And knowing my luck, we probably never will he added mentally. Weth nodded.

"You know, for a human, you truly are extraordinary" she said. "With the possible exception of Mr Morisato, I didn't think it was possible for a human male in your age range to resist the attentions of a woman". Jago snorted.

"You've got a lot to learn lass" he said. It was then that a face appeared over the edge of the slope.

"Hey guys" Saga said and summersaulted her way into their hiding place. "Did I miss anything?" Jago glanced at Weth but shook his head.

"No, 'sall good here. So what'd you find? Have you got us a way in?"

"Well we can't get in via the gates or the walls; too many guards for a sneak attack and not of us for a direct attack". Jago sighed.

"So we're back where we started" he said.

"Well I didn't say that…"

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Bellow the fortress, tunnelled deep into the rock were caves. And it was a fair bet that at least one of those caves would lead up to the underside of the castle. They had the rope set up. They were ready to descend. All they needed to was work out who went first.

"It should be me" Jago said. "I'm the heaviest by quite a large margin and if anyone is likely to break the gear then it'll be me".

"I thought you said that rope could take more than five hundred pounds in weight?" Weth said, eyeing the rope.

"It can but I'm not that the hook can".

"It took my weight alright" said Saga. Jago snorted.

"Sorry lass but if you way a _third_ as muc do then I would be extremely surprised!"

"Why? How much do you weigh?"

"About three hundred pounds" said Jago.

"You're big" said Weth.

"Thank you for that statement of the blindingly obvious" said Jago with a touch of resentment. At this point, Saga turned to Weth.

"Why don't you go then? You can't be that much heavier than I am. Folded her arms and snorted.

"There's no way I'm going to be the first one into those caves! There could be anything down there! Anyway, if you're so eager to go then why don't you go first?"

"You said so yourself; there could be anything down there! Besides, I think I've done enough as the scout warrant not having to go first!" The two continued to bicker, not realising until it was too late that Jago had already swung himself over the edge of the cliff and down towards the caves.

"It's dark in here!" Jago called out. "And it smells BAD!" Weth and Saga left off with their fight and peered over the edge of the cliff just as Jago poked his head back out. "Well are you two coming or not?" he called up to them. "We've got things to do!"

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Irpa sang softy to Lind; a gentle lullaby that she hoped would help to stem her tears. She had never been a great singer and her voice cracked whenever she tried to hit a high note. However, it had a soothing effect on Lind and soon, the tears stopped.

"I'm sorry Lind" said Irpa. "For you to have gained so much and lost it so quickly… I can understand your pain". Then her voice hardened. "However, now is not the time for tears. So dry your eyes Captain for we still have a mission to complete".

"Stuff the mission" said Lind. "Why should I care? Jago is dead and without him-"

"CAPTAIN LIND!" Irpa said, jerking the other Valkyrie out of her stupor. "ARE YOU A VALKYRIE OR NOT LIND? DID YOU NOT SWEAR AN OATH OF LOYALTY TO HEAVEN, TO LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE IN THE NAME OF THE SERVICE? OR ARE YOU TRULY A TRAITOR?" She stood, leaning heavily on her one good leg as Lind stared blearily at her, unsure what to say.

"But-"

"NO BUTS! NOW GET UP!" she snarled. "You disgust me Lind! I am willing to overlook your original treachery and that you took a human male as a lover but now is not the time for tears! Now get up One-Winged Whore!" Lind bristled slightly but remained seated. "Look at you!" Irpa sneered. "You're a broken down wreck, not fit to wear the colours of the Valkyries! And not only are you a disgrace to your rank and your order but you disgrace Jago and his memory!" Lind's eyes flashed and she stood shakily, gritting her teeth.

"Shut up" she growled, causing Irpa cock an eyebrow.

"What was that? The little dog still has some bark after all? Except you're not a dog Lind; you're a bitch! If only your lover could see you now. Perhaps he was a fool after all, for choosing such a weak-" She didn't get chance to finish the sentence, as Lind's hands closed around her throat.

"YOU SHUT UP IRPA!" she shouted, squeezing hard. "I loved Jago and I know that he loved me! I will not have you disrespect his name just so you can insult him! I-" Then she realised that her hands were free. In her rage, Lind had broken her manacles, tearing them from the wall. She released Irpa and dropped her to the ground who gasped for breath. "You are a cold bitch Irpa" she said to which the other Valkyrie nodded.

"That I am Lind but for what I said, I am sorry. But now is not the time for tears". She cleared her throat. "Look Lind, Jago was a good man, I admit that now and I know how you felt towards him and he to you but were sent here to do job. If you must grieve then do it once we have finished our mission but now, there are others who are counting on us. We may no longer have the power to face down the dragon but at the very least, we should still try and rescue Eir and Troubadour". Lind nodded silently and Irpa sighed. "Look Lind, for now we must look to the future. Jago's legacy will survive through you… and through your son". Lind paused and put her hand on her belly, feeling the now familiar feeling of warmth, comfort and power that her son exuded. Finally she nodded.

"You are right. Of course; it was selfish of me to weep while there are still others who need our help. I will do my grieving later". With that, she reached around Irpa and yanked her chain free of the wall without as much as a grunt of effort. "However, that doesn't mean that I have forgiven you for what you said Irpa. When we get back to Heaven, I'm going to beat the living crap out of you". Irpa nodded, massaging her wrists.

"That's fair" she said. "Now I suggest that you get that door open. The others will be waiting for us".

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With the grinding sound of stone on stone, the cobble slowly rose from the floor and was shoved aside. Jago stuck his head through the hole in the floor and grinned.

"Coast is clear" he said and heaved himself up and out of the hole before turning to help the other two out of the hole.

"Great" said Weth. "We appear to have tunnelled into a cell".

"No better place to tunnel into" Jago said. "It's quiet, there's no-one around and we know that we're in roughly the right area to find the others. Before we do anything else though, we need a plan". He knelt down and motioned for the others to do the same. "Ok, here's what we're gonna do; Saga, I need you to find us a way out. I doubt we'll be able to make it back here once the fighting starts so we need a clear exit. And then I want you to booby-trap it". He took a couple of sticks of dynamite and a lighter form his pockets, handing them to her. "Think you can manage that?"

"You can count on me" she said with a grim smile.

"Good, now Weth" he said, turning to the other goddess. "I need you to find our gear. With luck it'll all still be in the same place and not scattered so it should be fairly easy to get hold of. If it has been scattered though, don't worry; just find my bergan and then get whatever else you can into it". Weth cocked her head.

"How? It can't be-"

"Skuld leant me a device that's made it bigger on the inside than the out. Trust me; if it can fit through the mouth, it will fit".

"If you say so. But what are going to do?"

"I have two jobs; first cause a distraction sop you two can get to work and then, I need to find the others".

"Well how are you going to do that?"

"I'm gonna get my arse captures of course! Right so we have a plan. Now there's only one thing to do". He closed his eyes and to their shock, he began to pray. Not exactly a conventional prayer though;

_Our Father who art in Heaven,_

_Tyr be thy name,_

_Our postings come, thy will be done,_

_In ATSA as it is in Heaven._

_Give us this day our daily bollucking,_

_And forgive us our cock-ups,_

_So that we may forgive the cock-ups of others, _

_And lead us not into temptation,_

_But deliver us from the bloody officers. _

_For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the NAFI,_

_ For ever and ever. _

_The men!_

He crossed himself.

"Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch!" he said.

"What the Hell was that?" Weth asked.

"The Lord's prayer as done by the REME and then modified by me. Not bad right?"

"It's ridiculous!" chuckled Saga.

"Of course it is! Why else would I say it? Now if you don't mind" he said, standing and unslinging his rifle, "I've gotta go and get my arse kicked sky high!"

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The three of them crouched behind a pillar near the central hall of the fortress as the giants sat around a vast table, feasting. It was a grim picture as half cooked meat was tossed from one giant to another. Jago could have sworn that at one point, a severed human arm was hurled the length of the table, only to be caught by another Jötunn who started gnawing at it with its massive teeth.

"They're disgusting!" Saga whispered. "How are you going to get past them?" Jago grinned.

"Simple; I'll improvise!" Without another word, he stood and strode into the middle of the hall. "HEY THERE!" he shouted and the hall suddenly echoed into shocked silence. Then one of the giants stood and roared.

"AN INTRUDER!" he bellowed.

"Well how'd he get in? In-tru-der window?" said Jago. "Bet you can't catch me though!" With that he, went haring off down the, pausing once to spin and fire his rifle, dropping one of the Jötunns. The others roared and went charging off after him, bellowing with rage as Jago started singing at the top of his lungs, trying to draw as many faints after him as possible.

"He's mad!" Weth whispered as the last of the Jötunns disappeared from view.

"That he is" commented Saga. "But I think just a little bit brilliant!" With that she stood and nodded to Weth. "Ok, we know the plan so make sure you meet up with us when you're done". Weth nodded.

"Very well. Good luck and good hunting!"

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"COME AND GET ME YOU FATTIES!" Jago yelled back over his shoulder to the bellowing giants, hurdling a broken pillar and rounding the corner, straight into another group of Jötunns. "Whoops!" he said and dropped to his knees, sliding between the legs of the lead giant before springing back to his feet and using the butt of his rifle as a club to crack the next giant's skull, thereby clearing his path. He sprinted off again, firing off another shot and then raced up a set of stairs, before pausing to reload his rifle. With a sudden roar, a door burst open and out poured another group of giants. Jago quickly pulled his khukuri free its sheath and slashed at the nearest one, driving them back through the door before kicking one so hard in the crotch that he heard its pelvis shatter. He kicked the door closed and raced off down the corridor. This corridor ended in a pair of doors, one on each side. Without a second's thought, he booted the left-hand door open and raced inside, tugging it closed behind him. Seconds later, he raced back out and slammed the door behind him, leaning on it heavily.

"_What on Earth was that?!" _Lamb asked, shivering at the memory of the monstrosity they had just seen.

"_I would say some sort of big badass, butt-raping boogie monster! I ain't going back in there again!"_

_"Keep going!" _Damascus said. "_Those giants are back again!"_ Jago sighed and set off through the opposite door. At least this one didn't have a monster behind it. What there was, was another hoard of giants. Hundreds of them. This was armoury after all

"Oh bugger" Jago said and turned to leave again only for his way to be blocked by the giants who had just entered the room behind him. He turned back around as the giants closed in. "_French tactics?" _he asked the Archs.

"_French tactics"_ they both agreed so with that, Jago through up his hands.

"I surrender!" he said. A Jötunn officer grunted at this and stepped forward.

"Take him!" he growled.

"_How long did we last?" _ Jago asked as the giants swarmed forward. "_Before we were captured I mean"._

_"Twenty-three minutes, thirty-six seconds" Lamb said. "Not bad considering the circumstances"._

_"And now for a lot of stinging" _ Jago said as the closet giant drew back his fist. "_Goodbye teeth!"_ Blackness.

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Troubadour's head jerked up as he heard the key turn in the lock and the door was thrown open, allowing the jailor entry; an enormous, fat creature with a drooping lip and a foul stench. Eir on the other hand remained listless, until the giant spoke.

"Found another one of you sneaking around here. Apparently he led the guards on a merry chase before they caught him" He grinned and jerked his thumb towards the door as a pair of guards came in dragging a limp figure; Jago. "Should be interesting to learn how he got in but I think we'll wait for the inquisitor before that happens". The pair struggled to their feet and watched as the guards dumped Jago on the floor before binding his hands with chains and attaching him to the wall. Eir gasped as one of the guards moved aside and she got a good look at his face; it was a mass of purple and green bruises, with one eye swollen shut and blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He made a grunting noise, starting to move but one giant took a step back and delivered a savage kick to his ribs. He lurched and the giants grinned, turning away. "Sleep well my friends!" the jailor sneered. "We'll be back in an hour to deal with you!" With that, the door slammed shut and the sounds of laughter slowly faded away.

"Jago? Are you ok?" Eir whispered, almost too scared to ask.

"Paladin?" asked Troubadour. Suddenly Jago's one good eye snapped open and he grinned.

"Hello you two!" he said and he sat up with a groan. "Remind me never to surrender! It's more trouble than it's worth!" He rolled his shoulders and cracked out his neck before turning to them. "Looks like I found you" he said with a grin, pausing to spit a thick dollop of blood.

"I'm amazed that you're alive!" Eir said. "How did you survive?" Jago shrugged.

"Luck and shear bloody-mindedness. I guess I'm just very hard to kill!" He grinned. "Don't worry; your sister and Weth are fine too. I was the distraction while they secured our exit". He paused, scooping something off the floor with one hand and then pulling himself upright. "Now what about the others? What's happened to Lind? And Irpa? Where's Irpa?"

"Lind thought you were dead- As did we all in fact and she had a complete breakdown. The last we heard, they were being taken into the lower dungeons where they have special cells specifically for holding Valkyries. Other than that, we couldn't say". Jago paused and nodded.

"That's alright. At least I now know where to look".

"But how are going to escape?" Troubadour asked. "Our hands are bound and even if we break free, the door is still locked".

"Don't worry; for once I actually have a plan. Just watch this!"

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Weth peered around the corner of the pillar and spotted a small group of Jötunns at the far end of the corridor. They had their backs to her and so she fingered the hilt of her throwing knife, weighing her chances of victory. But no; there were too many of them for her to deal with at the moment and escape without giving away her position. Instead, she shot across to the other wall and ducked behind another pillar before sneaking past the group.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. "I should just cut and run while I can!" And why not? She had failed in her mission to seduce the Paladin so there was no reason for her to stick around. Except… Astrakhan Lamb… She had been kind to Weth, even though they both knew Jago's animosity towards Weth's Master. She needed to repay that kindness.

"What am I thinking?" she growled. "I'm here to kill that bitch of an Arch, not make friends with her! I should just leave them here and…" Her voice faded away. She had been taught one thing above all in the Praetorians; loyalty. Not only to Heaven, to her Master or the Almighty but to her friends and comrades. And at this moment, Lamb was the only friend she had. She ground her teeth in frustration and then sighed. She had started down this path so she would see it through to its end. For now at least, she would work for the Paladin. She would see what came of it and with luck, she could plan from there.

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Lind crouched as she and Irpa surveyed the corridor before them, sizing up this latest Jötunn patrol.

"Seven" Irpa muttered. "I'll take the three on the right; can you stop the four on the left?" Lind nodded silently and hefted the length of heavy, blood-spattered chain that she had been using as a weapon. She started to spin a section of it in one hand as Irpa tightened her grip on the knife she had taken from a Jötunn they had previously killed. "Ready? On three; one, two-"Lind was up and running before Irpa could finish her sentence, yelling as she went. The Jötunns turned in surprise to face the charging Valkyrie and started for their weapons but before they could unsheathe their knives, she was on top of them. Her chain hissed through the air, catching the nearest Jötunn on the side of its neck. The weapon passed through the thick muscle and bone almost as if it weren't there and the head flew across the hall as Lind continued her reckless charge. By the time that Irpa arrived, less than ten seconds later, Lind had already killed another three Jötunns and was turning on her fifth. She gave a yell, tossing her chain aside and tackled the giant, bearing him to the ground and then sat on his chest, pounding at the monster's grotesque face with both fist until knuckles of her gloves were stained red with its blood. Irpa meanwhile leapt between the remaining two giants and with a single deft movement, she sliced them both across the backs of their calves, hamstringing them. The giants bellowed and fell and Irpa stabbed one in the chest, killing him instantly before placing her blade against the throat of the other. She then turned to Lind who still pounding away at her giant's face. It was obviously dead now but Lind just kept punching, tears trickling down her face. "He's dead Lind. You can stop punching him". Lind ignored her and continued to pound until, with an almighty crack, her fist shattered the giant's skull, showering her with blood and pieces of grey-matter. Only then did Lind stop. She stood, breathing heavily and turned to Irpa.

"Sorry" she said. "Got a bit carried away". Irpa glanced towards the spreading pool of blood and bone that marked where her final victim's head used to be but didn't say a word.

"I've got a live one" she said and Lind nodded, kneeling beside the other Valkyrie and staring into the eyes of the fallen Jötunn.

"Listen very carefully" she whispered, "because I'm only going to say this once. I want to know where our friends are being kept. You tell me and Irpa here will kill you quickly. You resist and I will kill you. And when I do so, I'll make what I did to your friend over there" she said, gesturing towards the body with the shattered head, "look like a peaceful demise". The Jötunns eyes opened wide and he gulped.

"Three floors up. Seventeenth cell on the left". Lind nodded and stepped away as Irpa leaned forward with her knife. The giant screams were suddenly cut off as the blade was sliced across its throat and Lind snorted, retrieving the chain. With a grunt of disgust, Irpa stood and turned to Lind.

"Are you sure your ok Lind? You seemed a little… obsessed with that giant you were punching".

"Of course I was obsessed" she said. "In the last few hours, I've lost virtually everything I had to these _beasts _so you'll have to excuse me if I get a little carried away with beating the living shit out of the occasional Jötunn". Irpa pursed her lips in disapproval but nodded. "I see you understand; good. The others will be waiting for us".

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The door to the cell creaked open, causing Eir, Troubadour and Jago to all start. In stepped a small group of Jötunns; a thin, shortish one who was probably the inquisitor and a group of guards who entered, carrying a table, piled high with grotesque looking implements.

"Give me a shout if you need anything" the jailor grumbled as he exited, followed by most of the guards, eventually leaving just the inquisitor and a single guard. It was then that the inquisitor spoke;

"My, my, hasn't today revealed some interesting new prizes" he said in a thin, nasal voice. "A plum-tree spirit, a goddess third-class and a human, plus two Valkyries, the One-winged Terror amongst them". He chuckled as Jago stiffened at the mention of Lind's Jötunn name. "Oh don't worry; I haven't started on your friends yet as I need to warm up first".

"Well if you want someone to warm up with, why not start with me?" Jago said. "I mean, I am all soft and squishy and besides, aren't you curious as to how I managed to sneak in here on my own?" The inquisitor chuckled and turned to Jago.

"My, aren't you a brave one?" he said. "Very well, I'll start with you". As he stepped forward, Eir opened her mouth to say something but Jago gave her a sly wink, silencing her, before turning his attention back to the giant. "Do you have anything you wish to say before we begin?" the inquisitor inquired. "It won't really do you much good although it might make your death come a bit sooner rather than later". Jago paused thinking.

"Why yes, I do. First I'm gonna punch you so hard that you lose half your teeth. Then I'm gonna spin you round and use you as a shield while I use a shiv to kill that guard over there. And then… I think I'll finish off by breaking your neck". The Jötunn gave him an astonished looked but then snorted.

"And how exactly do you plan to do all that?"

"Well you know those manacles?"

"Yes?"

"Well…" Jago said, swinging both his wrists forward and dropping the chain, "I picked them!" The giant gave a gasp but before he could say a word, Jago's right first cracked hard into the giants face, scattering teeth across the floor. He then kicked the monster in the shins, knocking its legs out from under it and spinning it, wrapping one arm around its throat. The guard was just reaching for his knife when Jago's other arm shot up and something struck the guard in the face, piercing straight through the left eye and into the brain. It went down without a sound and then Jago simply brought his hand back around, grasped the inquisitor by the side of his skull and twisted. There was a crack as the spine was broken and he released the giant, dropping the lifeless body to the floor. The whole episode was over in less than ten seconds.

"That was… brutal" said Eir.

"But efficient" agreed Troubadour. Jago nodded and stooped over the body of the dead guard, yanking the object from the giant's eye socket.

"What can I say? You wanna live? Then make a shiv". He held up the object that he had thrown and the others realised what it was; it was a bone. Jago had just killed a giant with a sharpened rib! "Right then, let's get you out of here" he said and crossed to Eir, jamming the bone into the lock of her cuff. It took just a few seconds for the lock to click open and the cuffs fell away, leaving her to rub some life back into her wrists.

"Where the hell did you learn how to do that?" she asked as Jago as he turned to Troubadour and started working on his cuffs too.

"That I can't tell you. What I will say is that I've opened a few pairs of handcuffs in my time and these things have a much simpler lock on them". With that, Troubadour's cuffs snapped open and Jago spun his shiv in his hand, handing it to the tree spirit. "Think you can use this?"

"Of course I can!" the spirit said indignantly, accepting the bone blade.

"What about me?" Eir asked, to which Jago cocked his head.

"Hmm" he said and started patting down his pockets until he came to one on the inside of his jacket. He reached inside and pulled out a short piece of metal with a grin. "I forgot I still had this on me" he said and gave a deft flick of the wrist. The object snapped open, revealing a short blade and he spun it around one hand before handing it to her. "Know how to use a butterfly knife?" he asked.

"Well… yeah" said Eir, trying to copy what he had just done, only for the blade to slice down on her finger. "OW!" she said, dropping the knife. Jago caught it and spun it open again before handing it back to her. "But aren't these things illegal?" she asked, sucking her finger.

"In most of Europe, America, Japan and Australia? Yes. So I'll be wanting it back when we make it out of here". Eir grinned and nodded but Troubadour looked unsure.

"What about you Paladin? What are you using as a weapon?" Jago turned and was about to answer but suddenly stopped as they heard a disturbance from outside the room. More than a disturbance in fact; there was a sudden wave of shouts and screams, coupled with the sound of fighting. Very briefly, a Jötunn face pressed against the tiny window in the cell's door, only to be ripped away with a harrowing scream. Jago paused, nodded at the pair and crept over behind the door, where he knelt down and pulled off his hat, testing the edge of the sharpen brim with his thumb. Then suddenly, the door burst open and Jago leapt up with a yell, scything towards the figure who entered. And a wrist came up, blocking the attack. He looked around the door, straight into the face of Lind, whose uniform was flecked with blood and her face set in a furious expression as she glared back at him. And then her glare melted and she smiled.

"Jago? JAGO!" she said pulled him into a tight embrace. "MY GOD! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Jago grinned and hugged her back, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"Good to see you lass" he said. Lind took a step back, tears in her eyes.

"But Jago, I thought you were dead! How in the world did you survive?" Jago snorted.

"Haven't you realised it yet?" he asked. "It'll take more than a few tons of snow and some grumpy giants to keep me from you". Lind nodded and smiled.

"Oh but Jago, I thought you were gone for sure. I thought- I thought I had lost you". A single tear rolled down her cheek, until Jago wiped it away with a thumb.

"Come ye of little faith; I'm a lot tougher than you give me credit for! Now cheer up you silly sod! We have stuff to do". Lind backed off and nodded, then paused.

"You tried to chop me with that hat of yours" she said indignantly to which Jago grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, I thought you was a giant".

"Cheeky!" she said. "I may be pregnant but I don't even have a baby-bump yet!" They both chuckled.

"Well that's worrying; you're developing a sense of humour". They laughed again and then turned to face the rest of the group.

"I hope you guys are alright" Lind said to Troubadour and Eir.

"We're good" said Eir. "Jago was just about to break us out, but you beat him to it".

"What about the others? Weth and Saga?" Lind asked.

"They're working on finding our gear and a way out. We're supposed to meet up with them after I broke you out".

"Well this is riveting" said Irpa, hobbling into the room, "but hadn't we better get moving?" Lind paused and nodded.

"You're right" she said and turned to the others. "Are you guys fit to travel? And what about weapons?" Eir flashed her borrowed knife while Troubadour fingered his shiv.

"We can fight" the tree spirit said.

"What about you Jago?" Lind asked. "I'm not letting you fight giants with just a sharpened hat".

"You really think that's all I'm carrying? Even if I'm completely naked, you should always assume I have at least one more weapon on me". With that, he reached around behind himself and yanked something free of his trousers. "High-powered .22 air pistol. Virtually silent and lethal at ranges of up to fifty feet, with an eight round mag plus two spares; twenty four shots in total". He then pocketed his pistol as Eir glanced at his backside.

"Where were you hiding that?" she asked in a horrified voice.

"Don't ask" Jago said. "I also have a coil of cheese wire in my hat for use as a garrotte and I still have my brass knuckles. Is that enough?" Lind paused and nodded.

"The fact that you are still carrying all that stuff is worrying but I will admit that it was probably a good thing that you brought it".

"Well you know what they say; you can never have too much redundancy".

"In that case, we had better keep moving" Irpa said. "Jago, lead the way. You're the only one who knows where we're meeting the others". Jago nodded and chambered the first round of his pistol, before sliding off the safety.

"Let's do this" he said. "And nobody die! I've had an exciting enough day as it is!"

**Authors Note: Got my pc back from the repair shop on Monday and knocked this out since then. Hope it's alright! And I've given up asking for reviews; nobody he reads this far ever drops me one so I won't bloody bother. Don't worry though. I like you guys!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**Out of the Frying-Pan…**

"Are you sure this is where you were supposed to meet them?" Eir asked, peering around the corner of the pillar as the little party waited for Weth and Saga to appear.

"Yes, I'm sure" Jago said. "What do you think I am? Stupid?" Then he paused. "Don't answer that".

"Was it really a good idea to let those two go off alone?" Troubadour asked. "I mean, they're not exactly the most experienced pair on the world".

"Well I never had to fight an entire army on my own before but I thought I did pretty well. Now look; the lost of you need to stop worrying. Weth and Saga will be here any minute".

"Well actually, I'm here now" a voice said and Weth dropped down from above.

"How'd you do that?" Jago asked.

"It was taking too long for me get around on the ground so I started jumping between the tops of the pillars. Anyway, I believe I have something for you". With that, Weth unslung Jago's bag and slid it across to him. Jago grinned, stooped and flipped open the top of the bag to inspect the contents.

"Looks like you got the lot. You even got the liquor!" he said, reaching in and pulling a half-bottle of Suicider and taking a swig.

"Is this really the best time to be drinking?" Lind asked.

"I can't think of a better time" Jago said, tossing her halberd to her. "Now let's lock and load". Within minutes, everyone had been rearmed and were ready to move out; all they had to do was wait for Saga.

"Where could she be?" Eir asked, anxiously fingering her cutlass. "Do you suppose that something could have happened to her?" Jago shook his head.

"Don't worry, she'll be ok. She was the one who found a way in here so I have no doubt that she can get us out undetected". At this point, they heard gunshots. "Then again…"

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Saga spun, levelling her borrowed revolver at the closest giant and fired, the recoil almost flinging the gun from her hand. Her shot was true however and the giant went down as she spun back around and started running again. As the rounded the corner, another Jötunn suddenly loomed large above her and roared, slashing with his knife. She gave a little squeak and ducked, slicing upward with her cutlass. She felt it catch and the giant roared as she twisted the blade free and ran on, not daring to look back. She ran onward, occasionally pausing to fire off another round as she went, until she had left her pursuers far behind.

"This is way too stressful" she said, sagging to the ground with a clatter. "I wonder if this is why Jago smokes so much?" Just then, a door opposite her burst open and a pair of roaring Jötunns came racing out, bearing their knives. Saga screamed and the two giants stopped in their tracks, seemingly frozen in terror. Then the eyes of one bulged and it dropped its knife, reaching for its throat as a thick coil of cheese wire bit into the skin. The other giant set off at a run as the first was lifted an inch from the ground with a hideous gagging noise, feet kicking and then went limp. At the same time, Lind stepped out from behind the suspended giant, holding Jago's Stetson and hurled it at the retreating giant. The brim struck the giant in the back of the skull and it went down as the sharpened pennies bit through the thick skull. Jago then released one side of the wire coil, letting the first dead giant drop to the ground.

"Hey lass" he said, coiling the wire back into his hat.

"Jago! You actually made it!"

"Where the Hell were you?" the big mad asked. "I was worried". Just then, Eir came bounding through the and tackled her sister.

"SAGA! YOU'RE ALIVE!" she said, hugging her twin. "And now… we're both covered in blood". The two took a step away from each other and looked down at their usually spotless purple uniforms which were now spotted with red flecks.

"Oh man… It's gonna take forever to get this stuff out".

"Now you see why I wear leather" Jago said, retrieving his hat from the dead Jötunn and then turning to his little group. "Right then; the magical mystery tour is over and everyone is now present and accounted for. Now let's haul ass!" He turned to Saga. "It's good to see you in once piece lass. Now did you find us an exit?" Saga nodded.

"I found a way. But we're not taking the gates. Instead we need to take the stairs". Lind gave a suspicious look.

"What stairs?" she asked.

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"Bloody Hell" Jago whispered softly, looking over the edge of the precipice and down into oblivion. The stairs that Saga had found were located beneath the fortress, contained within a vast cavern hewn directly into the rock. That wasn't the main problem though; the problem was how bloody dangerous they were. The entire stairway was barely two foot wide, without any form of banister or safety rail to prevent anyone using it from plummeting into the infinite blackness below. In sections, it had crumbled or collapsed completely, leaving gaps that while technically jumpable, would be VERY dangerous to attempt. Jago reached into his bag and pulled out a couple of flares. "Cover your eyes" he said, striking the magnesium fuse on the wall, causing it to burn a brilliant pink-white. He tossed it over the edge of the precipice and watched it disappear down into the darkness below.

"Are you sure this is the only way out?" Weth asked, peering over the edge.

"Of course I'm sure!" Saga snapped. "It's either this or we try and take the North gate which was swarming with giants last I checked".

"Are you sure this is even a way out?" Irpa asked, hobbling forward one her good leg to peer over the edge. This time, Saga looked doubtful.

"I think so" she said. "I didn't get chance to check it out properly but I have faith-"

"You have _FAITH_!?" Weth shrieked. "There's no way I'm going down there unless I am absolutely certain-"

"Shut up Weth!" Lind barked. "If Saga says this is the way out then this is the way we take!"

"And we'd better hurry" muttered Troubadour from the back of the group, his ear pressed against the cold stone of the wall. "I can hear the giants coming". As is on cue, a crossbow quarrel ricocheted off the stone steps near to where Jago was standing, as shouting sounded from high above. It the galleries above, vague shadows were beginning to appear and they could see the glow of the red-eyed marksmen as the readied their crossbows for an attack.

"I suggest we run" Jago said and turned to his group… which was gone, already haring down the stairs, even as more quarrels clattered down. "Oi! Wait for me!" he shouted and took off after them, clutching his hat to his head. And behind him, there came a wild whoop as the first few Jötunns reached the stairs and began their chase, their heavy feet shaking the ancient stairs, their eyes burning bright in the darkness, hungry for blood.

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The run was a perilous one. One errant footstep or stumble could have sent any of them tumbling to their deaths. In fact, as they ran, several Jötunns fell past them, shoved aside by their bigger, stronger cousins. Worse still were the gaps that opened up in the stair where a section had crumbled or collapsed and they were forced to jump. Not only was this dangerous in the extreme but it slowed them down, allowing the Jötunns to catch up. Luckily, Jago was prepared for this; whenever they drew too close, he would pause and whip out his can of WD-40 and a lighter, letting fly with what was essentially a makeshift flamethrower (*1). It was working well… until they came to the big gap. The stop was so sudden, that Jago actually ran into the back of Irpa, knocking her off balance and almost sending her over the edge.

"AH!" she screamed as she fell forward but Jago grabbed hold of the tails of her uniform and hauled her back up.

"Careful!" he chuckled and then looked ahead. "What's the hold up?"

"There's a gap that I can't jump" Saga called back to him. And what a gap it was! At some point, a huge stone had become dislodged from the ceiling and had come tumbling down, taking a thirty foot section of stair along with it.

"How the Hell are we supposed to cross this?" Irpa asked desperately, clasping one hand to her injured leg. "I can't jump it like this, Eir and Saga can't and I doubt that Weth can either".

"Well you guys had better think of something quickly" Jago said, turning to face back up the stairs and readying his flame-thrower. "I haven't got much gas left and I really don't want to cook this thing off in my hand!" He let fly with a short burst of flame, driving back the closet giants as the others tried to work out what to do.

"What the hell can we do?" Eir said. "If Saga and me can't jump it then we're screwed! We can't go-" Weth cut her off by grabbing her by her back and with a jerk and a sudden roar, she hurled the smaller goddess across the void to land with a crash on the other side.

"There's our way across!" she shouted and then turned to Saga. "You're next!" she said to which Saga waved her cutlass at her.

"No way are you throwing me!" she shouted only for Lind to grab her from behind and hurl her into space. "BITCH!" she shouted as she sailed through the air to land in her sister's arms. Lind then turned to Troubadour.

"You go next and catch Irpa when I throw her" she said and the tree spirit nodded, leaping across the gap, to turn and face the others.

"Alright Captain! Toss her across!" Irpa grimaced at Lind as the blue-haired Valkyrie grasped her by the shoulders.

"I'm gonna hate you for this!" she said. Lind nodded and tossed the injured woman across the gap, into the waiting arms of Troubadour before turning to Weth.

"No-one tosses me!" the girl said and she took a few steps back and taking the jump at a run. She landed nimbly and turned to face Lind. And the rock crumbled away beneath her feet. She gave a yelp as the ground gave way beneath her and she started to fall. At the last second, a hand reached down and caught her by the wrist, grasping her tightly.

"I GOT YOU!" Saga called out to the dangling goddess, straining to lift the other girl's greater weight. A second later, Eir was by her side and between them, they heaved Weth up and onto the main stairs.

"You fools! You I almost dragged you over!" she said but she smiled. The three stood and turned to follow Troubadour and Irpa who were already heading down the stairs towards the next level. This left just two people; Lind and Jago.

"BURN YOU LITTLE SUCKERS! BURN!" Jago shouted spraying another gout of liquid fire at the giants as Lind turned to him.

"THEY'RE ALL ACROSS!" she called out.

"ALRIGHT! YOU GO! I'LL FOLLOW IN A SEC!" Lind nodded, turned and leapt easily sailing across the gap between the two sets of stairs, then turning to face Jago again.

"I'M ACROSS! NOW COME ON!" she shouted and Jago nodded, cocked his arm back and hurled the can at the nearest giant, catching it in the forehead and pitching it over the edge of the stair. He then used the momentum from his arm to spin himself around and ran down the stairs before hurling himself across the gap. But he cocked up. When Weth had landed and broken the stair, she had extended the gap by six foot but Jago hadn't seen this and so he had aimed to land on a piece of stone that wasn't there anymore.

"OH CRAP!" he shouted as he plummeted across the gap, arms and legs pumping madly. Seemingly propelled by sheer force of will, he slammed into the support that held that section of the stairway and managed to catch his fingers on the very lip of the stair. The force of the impact almost knocked him free but he clung on grimly as he felt a strong hand wrap itself around his arm and heave him up. "Thanks Lind" he gasped but then realised it wasn't her; it was Weth. Weth had saved him.

"You're a fat, heavy bastard!" she gasped as she heaved him up.

"It's not fat! It's power!" he said.

"Shut up and get up!" she said and then another set of hands reached down and pulled them both up.

"You alright?" Lind asked.

"Yep" said Jago. "Hold this". He pulled something that looked like a fast burning candle from the inside of his jacket and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked as the wick rapidly burned down and Jago brushed himself off.

"Dynamite" he said, taking it off of her and then turning and hurling it towards the Jötunns. "CATCH!"

"Yahwhatnot!?" she said as she watched the thin stick spin away, to be caught in the air by one of the lead giants.

"You heard me. Now I suggest we run!"

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_The Jötunn stared down at the strange looking candle that the human had thrown at it. It nibbled experimentally at it and spat, disliking the taste. However, the press of giants surging forward was driving the giant onward and so it ignored the object, tucking it into its belt. And then, as part of the group, the giant leapt across the gap that the human's group had just crossed, landing with the greatest of ease. And then there was a flash of light._

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With a terrific boom, the dynamite exploded, just as the wave of Jötunns landed on the broken stairs. Huge chunks of rock were blown away and a great section of the stair began to tilt and fall. The panicked cries of those Jötunns unlucky enough to survive the blast fill the camber as a million tons of rock slid sideways; a cascade collapse as one support after another fell away until finally, almost three hundred foot of stair collapsed into the abyss below, billowing dust and debris. Jago coughed.

"I didn't expect it to be that effective" he said and then grinned. "LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO GLUE YOUR FRIENDS BACK TOGETHER!" he shouted to the giants, only to be answered by a hail of crossbow bolts. And then, a thunderous crack. The whole chamber shook and the little party had to stagger to keep their footing.

"What's going on?" Irpa called out, leaning on Troubadour for support.

"My bad" Jago said, looking up. "I think the blast has knocked those stalactites on the roof lose and they're about to fall on us". Lind looked up.

"You mean those really big ones? The ones that are about twenty foot wide at their narrowest point?"

"Yep. Those which are now rapidly approaching at a high velocity".

"Should we run?" Troubadour asked.

"Oh yes, let's" said Jago.

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They ran. They ran hard. And as they ran, a rain of stone came down around them. Huge pillars of pure limestone plunged down, knocked free by the vibrations and blast waves caused by the dynamite and the initial stairway collapse. Lind snapped to a halt as one of the huge pillars plunged down directly in front of her, shattering the stairway. With a yell, she leapt forward, sliding along the surface and down towards the next set of stairs. Jago was close behind, ducking under another massive spike as it fell. Eir and Saga skidded across the surface of one of stalactites and used it to drop down another level to an undamaged section of stair. Then with a sickening lurch, a section of stair that the group was running on slewed sideways and the floor became a wall as they ran, until the falling stone landed on the broken top of a falling stalactite.

"HOLD ON!" someone shouted and they crouched low, riding the descending column down until, with a sickening crash, it slammed into the ground, throwing them clear of the pillar. Debris, dust and the occasional smaller stalactite were still falling as the group pulled themselves back to their feet and Jago lit his last flare.

"Now what?" he asked but then ducked as crossbow bolts continued to rain down around them.

"This way! Hurry!" Saga called out and started running off in a seemingly random direction. As they ran though, a pinprick of light slowly appeared and steadily grew. And with a final shout, they burst forth, back into the bleak snows and wind of Jötunnheim. They all stopped, gasping and coughing up dust, until Troubadour took the lead.

"Come, we must get as far away from this place as we can. We need to be well away from here by the time the Jötunns show up". Jago nodded.

"How far to the dragon's den?"

"Well with the short-cut we took through the fort, I'd say less than half a day".

"But it's getting dark" Lind said, nodding at the setting sun. "We don't want to be out on these slopes in the dark with Jötunns about".

"Hmm. In that case; Troubadour, do you know anywhere around here we could hunker down for the night?" The plum-tree spirit nodded.

"Follow me" he said and set off at a run.

"Oh man" the twins moaned as they stared to follow the tree spirit. "This is exhausting!"

"Shut up or I'll carry you!" Jago shouted back to them. He then turned to Irpa with a look of concern; her leg had started oozing, staining her white uniform red. "How are you holding up?" he asked her. "Do _you _need carrying?" Irpa snorted as she hobbled along, using her sword as a crutch.

"With all due respect Paladin but if you try and carry me, I'll bite your head off!" Jago frowned and nodded at her leg.

"What about that? You're bleeding pretty".

"I can bleed when I'm dead" she said. "Right now, I have more important things to worry about!"

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Eir and Saga slipped quietly back into the trees, keeping low to avoid being seen by the Jötunn search party. The little group had taken cover, using the trees to throw off their pursuers and were now resting up as best they could.

"How many?" Lind asked as the scouts slipped back into the camp.

"Lots" was all the pair had to report.

"Great" Irpa grunted and then winced as Jago tightened the thick masking tape around her thigh. "OW" she hissed.

"Quit moaning" Jago said. "I thought Valkyries were supposed to be tough!" Irpa didn't say anything, just clenched her teeth and tried to ignore the pair in her leg.

"We can't stay here" Troubadour said, standing on the edge of the group. "We're too exposed to both the weather and to attack. We should head uphill, towards the mountains. There should be shelter in the caves and rocks up there".

"I'm not so sure" Weth said. "And besides, won't we be incredibly exposed if we head above the tree line?"

"The girl is right". They all froze. This was a new voice… a female voice. A shadow moved amongst the trees and Lind leapt up, swinging her halberd. And she stopped.

"MY GOD! KAYRUNE?" she gasped, dropping her weapon and drawing the other goddess into a tight grip. She looked haggard and worn; her eyes sullen and sad. But she managed a weak smile and returned Lind's hug.

"It is good to see you Master" she said with a formal bow. And she collapsed.

"Kayrune? KAYRUNE!" Lind said grasping desperately as the withered Valkyrie collapsed to the ground. Jago was beside the pair in seconds, bending over the prone form of Kayrune.

"You know her?" Jago asked as he lead close to inspect the woman. Lind nodded.

"She was one of my first apprentices, before I took on Saga" she said, looking flustered. "But is she doing here?" She pressed her hand against Kayrune's stomach, only for the other Valkyrie to give a gasp as Lind's fingers brushed against the half-healed sword wound in Kayrune's side. "She's hurt too".

"Why didn't she use her magic to heal herself?" Weth asked, crossing to the trio.

"They took my wings" Kayrune whispered. "I've lost my magic".

"Who? Who did this Kayrune?" Lind asked desperately. Kayrune gave a grim look, then suddenly reached up and pulled Lind's pace down to hers. She whispered something. She fell back.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Jago asked.

"She's alive" Lind said, "but unconscious. We need to get her to a medic".

"But how can we?" Weth asked. "I mean, without alerting the dragon?" Lind looked grim and turned to Troubadour.

"Minstrel, lead us to the nearest cave. I can treat her but I need cover". Troubadour nodded silently and started to lead the way through the trees as Jago stooped and lifted Kayrune's battered body and supported her in the crook of one arm while Lind tied Kayrune's hands around the back of her neck so that he couldn't drop her accidently. "Are you sure you've got her?" she asked and Jago nodded, shifting Kayrune's weight to a more comfortable position.

"Let's go" he said and started following Troubadour, the rest of the group close behind.

"So what was it she told you?" Weth asked Lind. "What happened to her?" Lind gave her a grim look.

"Praetorians".

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"Praetorians? Are you sure that's what she said? Not Praetorian?" They had found a cave just above the tree line and had taken cover there while they attempted to sort out their plan, particularly what they were going to do with their newest member. In response to Jago's question, Lind nodded.

"It was definitely Praetorians. I heard the "S". And that's what worries me". Jago nodded sagely, scratching his head.

"Aye. The question is just how many traitors are we dealing with?" He paused and looked across at Kayrune's prone form, who was laid out flat, covered with a spare blanket. "But what about her? How did she get here?"

"I can answer that" Irpa said. "After Lind was… forced to leave, Kayrune was promoted to commander of the first cohort and she was ordered to attempt a recovery on the Bifrost gate. I don't know the specifics but her team disappeared during the attack, presumed dead. Now at least we know why they never came home". Jago nodded.

"But why is she unconscious? I know she's injured but she must surely still have some power left".

"Apparently they took her wings" Lind said, "and I'm guessing they used a de-winging blade".

"Ah, I know this one" Jago said. "Angels need their wings as a power conduit and without them, they lose most of their strength. And I'm guessing that she used up most of her power trying to heal that wound. So how long until she wakes up?" Lind shook her head.

"That's the problem; she won't. It takes very specialised magic to repair the damage of a de-winging blade, not something we could fix here even if we weren't constrained by the dragon. But there's another problem; she's still dying. Without her wings, she is leaking magical energy and when her levels reach a critical low, she will die".

"How long do you reckon she has left?" Irpa shrugged.

"Maybe a few of hours" she said. Jago scratched his head, thinking.

"Right… I have a plan. And if this works, we can not only stop the dragon but get her out of here and back to civilisation before she's too far gone". He turned to Troubadour.

"How long would it be to get to Gandamak's lair if we were to Quicktime it?" Troubadour turned his eyes skywards, thinking.

"A couple of hours? But there's no way we can get there in time and in a fighting condition. Not all of us anyway". Jago nodded and turned to the group.

"Listen up guys" he said. "We need to split the group. Irpa, Eir and Saga need to stay here and look after Kayrune while the rest of us go after Gandamak. Irpa frowned and Eir and Saga gave shouts of derision.

"Not fair!" Saga said.

"We're just as much a part of this team as the rest of you!" agreed Eir.

"That may be true" Jago said. "But we need to save Kayrune and to do that we need to get their quick. So quick in fact that if you two were to accompany us, you would be utterly exhausted and in no condition to fend off an angry dragon. As for you Irpa, you may be tough but even now, you wouldn't be any good against Gandamak, unless we needed some bait. At least, not with that leg". Irpa gave him a sour look but nodded.

"You're right" she said. "The twins and I will remain here and take care of Kayrune until you return". Jago shook his head.

"Too long" he said and pulled his phone free of his bag, tossing it to her. "Know how to user this? In two hours, I want you to dial Skuld. I told her to be ready with a CASEVAC bird as soon as she got the call". Irpa nodded and then Jago turned to Eir and Saga. "I'm sorry that you can't come with us, I really am. Perhaps it was for the best?" The two looked disheartened but nodded.

"Perhaps this might be of use?" Weth said, walking over to them and passing Saga her borrow shotgun. "You're more likely to need this than I will. I'm not sure buckshot is any good against dragons". Saga grinned and took the gun.

"Thanks Weth. You know; you're not so bad. Perhaps we could be friends?" Weth gave her a queer look but nodded, smiling for the first time since she had joined the group.

"Thanks" she said. "You take care of yourself". With that she turned away, going back to join the others as Jago slipped of his bag and slid it over to them.

"Keep that safe for me. And in case of emergency, look for the thing that says "Starstreak" near the bottom of it. You'll know what to do". The twins nodded and bowed solemnly. "Don't worry girls; I know you joined up to get into the GRO and if I live through this, you'll have my seal of approval for getting in". With that, they both smiled and high-fived each other as the Troubadour led the now reduced team out of the cave and up the mountain, towards the summit.

"Great…" Irpa said. "Stuck with two nauseating adolescents until we're rescued by tech freak". She sighed and unsheathed her broadsword, laying it across her lap as the twins started a victory dance. "Could be worse I suppose". Then she paused. "Good luck Paladin… and you Lind" she whispered. "Don't let me down". And then they heard them; the sound of approaching footsteps. The Jötunns had found them.

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Jago popped a tab from the little packet he was carrying in his pocket and swallowed it without pausing in his step.

"What was that?" Lind asked, jogging along beside him. "Cyanide?"

"Nope, Viagra".

"What? I don't think we have the time! Plus it's cold! And I'm not doing it in front of other people!"

"It's not for that dafty!" Jago said, trying to supress a chuckle. "We're going up right? Well Viagra will stop me from having oedema in my lung (2*)".

"I thought it was more the trouser department it affected" Lind said, cocking her head.

"Usually yes but I'd rather have lungs which work when we finally get to where we're going". It was then they heard the sound of distant gunshots. "And it looks like the sooner we get there, the better it will be!"

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Saga hastily jammed a fresh batch of shells into the shotgun before spinning out of her hiding place and firing on the closet Jötunn. She missed but didn't care as she was just trying to keep the giants at a distance for now.

"Have you found it yet?" she called over her shoulder, meaning the mysterious Starstreak that Jago had told them to use. Eir stuck her head out of Jago's bag, while keeping the rest of her body inside.

"I can't see it anywhere!" she shouted. "It's a mess in here!"

"But he said it was big!"

"Saga, there's a _canoe_ in here! How the Hell am I supposed to find a length of pipe!"

"Just hurry up!" Saga said and fired off another shot, this time catching her intended target who fell back, grasping his bullet ridden arm.

"Calm down" Irpa said. "We still have time; the Jötunns aren't that close". Saga snorted.

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one having to do the shooting!" Then she heard an exclamation of joy coming from Jago's bag.

"I FOUND IT!" Eir shouted, clambering out of the sack and holding up the device.

"You sure?" Saga asked, glancing at the tube.

"Well it has Starstreak written on the side" Eir replied, turning the thing over in her hands and inspecting the large box that was attached to the side.

"Well what is it?" Saga said, firing off another shot.

"Some sort of bazooka I think" She twiddled the device a few times, trying to work out which end the rocket would come out of. Eventually she gave up and simply shouldered the weapon and hoped that when she pressed the launch button, it wouldn't come out the back. "Heads down!" she shouted, stood and pressed the launch button.

KAWHOOSH!

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The four of them peered down into the mouth of the huge cavern, watching and listening.

"Are you sure this is the right cave?" Jago asked. The other three turned to stare at him as if he was mad.

"Jago, the cave stinks of sulphur and brimstone, there are claw marks in the floor and there are bones everywhere! How can this not be the lair of the dragon?" Jago shrugged.

"Just thought I would ask, Lind" Jago said, looking back down into the cave.

"Well in any case, we should get this over with" Lind said and hefted her halberd. Troubadour nodded and unsheathed his rapier.

"What about you Weth?" he asked. We nodded and pulled out her… knife.

"I'm with you" she said. Jago frowned at her.

"I'm not letting you fight a dragon with a pocket knife" he said and unslung his claymore, passing it to her. "Consider this a gift from me to you; if you survive, you can keep it". Weth look unsure but nodded.

"Thank you" she said. "But why? I mean… this is an Ever-sharp blade isn't it and I'm just-"

"A friend of Lamb's" Jago said. "She thought it would be better if you had it; you might be able to put it to better use than we can. Besides, since I broke your spear, it's only right that I give you a replacement". Weth gave a smile and slung the huge sheath across her back and then drew the two-handed weapon, gripping it tightly.

"I will treasure it" she said. "But what will you fight with?" Jago grinned and unslung his maul and shield.

"Take a guess" he said. "Are we ready now?" They all nodded but then started at the sound of a distant explosion.

"What was that?" Troubadour said.

"Not sure" said Jago, "but I have a feeling that the twins just used the Starstreak".

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Starstreak is a British made, laser guided, surface-to-air missile. It weighs thirty-seven pounds and after launch, it ejects a trio of two pound high-explosive warheads, each with the equivalent punch of a fourty mil shell. Due to its guidance system it is effective against light armoured vehicles and infantry. It's also VERY fast, with a top speed of Mach 3.5. So fast in fact that it's said that you don't launch a Starstreak; you just press the button and it fucks off. And luckily, Eir had managed to get the thing pointed in the right direction. The weapon gave a kick in her hands and almost knocked her on her back but she clung on as the missile sped away with a "KAWOOSH!", ejected its warheads and then three explosions swept through the ranks of the Jötunns as the weapons found their mark.

"BLOODY HELL!" Eir said. "This thing is lethal!" Saga nodded as the Jötunns went into full retreat, terrified by the destructive power of Starstreak.

"Nice work" Irpa said, hobbling over to the pair. "Remind me ask Jago where he got a weapon like that". She paused and looked down at the forest below. "But it won't be long until those giants come back and when they do, they'll be in greater numbers".

"So do we do?" Eir asked. The Valkyrie cocked her head at the launcher she was carrying.

"How many reloads does that thing have?" she asked. Eir shrugged.

"I saw four… maybe five more shots" she said.

"And I've got a couple of sticks of dynamite that Jago gave me from earlier" Saga offered. Irpa nodded.

"Good. In that case, we set up here and prepare for the next attack". She glanced at Jago's phone, checking the clock. "Twenty minutes. Let's see if we can hold out that long".

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"What the Hell is it?" Jago said, tapping the shrivelled thing with his boot.

"It's Gandamak's head" Lind said, inspecting the object closely.

"HIS HEAD!" Weth shouted. "But-".

"He's a hydra remember. The problem is that whenever he loses a head, his IQ is divided between the remaining heads. So in order to compensate for this, after a few days one of them will atrophy and drop off, leaving something like this".

"Well shoot, I say we cook that right up!" Jago said, tapping the head and neck with his boot again. "But not right now". He lifted his head up as Troubadour appeared from the other end of the tunnel, his face pale.

"Have you found the dragon?" Lind asked as the he approached. Troubadour nodded slowly.

"Yes" he said in a hoarse voice. "He's down there". He turned and pointed down the corridor.

"Well what's the matter then?" Lind asked.

"He's scary" he said simply.

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The great black monster was asleep, his great black mass coiled atop an enormous mound of bones. A great rumble filled the chamber as his sides rose and fell with a steady rhythm and little jets of flame flicked from the corners of the beast's mouth. Jago gulped at the sight of the monster.

"I should have brought an RPG" he said softly, eyeing the huge creature as it snored with a sound like small earthquake.

"A role playing game?" Weth asked.

"No, a rocket propelled grenade; we could do with some anti-tank weapons". He paused as stared up at the dragon's bulk, considering things. "Well we're here now but how exactly are we supposed to kill this thing? We can't behead it, that'll just make things worse so I don't know exactly what we're going to do". He turned to Lind. "Any suggestions?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure" she said with a shrug. "The last time I fought a dragon, it didn't go too well".

"Perhaps if we went for its heart?" Troubadour suggested. The dragon made a deep groaning noise and shifted slightly, crushing some of the bones beneath it. "Then again, maybe not" he said hastily.

"Do we actually have to kill it?" Weth suddenly asked. "I mean, I know he's evil and all but is it _really _necessary to kill him?"

"Well now that you mention it…" Jago said, scratching his head, "Heimdall did say I should try talking to him rather than fighting him". He stooped and picked up a stone from the floor of the cave.

"Jago? What are you doing?" Lind asked.

"I'm gonna wake him up" Jago said. "I suggest you guys hide; if I need you I'll give you a shout". Lind frowned but nodded.

"Alright… but don't do anything stupid. Or at least, more stupid than normal". With that, she kissed him gently on the cheek and turned away, heading back up the passage. Troubadour turned to follow her, glancing nervously back at the dragon and quickly went on his way. Weth however refused to move.

"You're a fool if you think you can face that dragon alone" she said. "At least let me stay here and help you. You never know; if things turn nasty then maybe I can be of use".

"I would rather you didn't" Jago said, "but I don't suppose I can do anything to stop you. It's your funeral though". With that, he hefted the rock and hurled it at the dragon then watched it bounce of the dragon's nose. The dragon gave a sleepy grunt and twitched a little. And then with a bellow like the splitting of a continent, the dragon rose from his slumber, spread his great wings and _glared_.

"WHO WOULD DARE TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER?!"

"'Ello mate!" Jago said. "I was sent here to kill you!"

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"I'M OUT! RELOADING!" Saga said, hurriedly jamming shells into the base of the shotgun.

"DUCK!" Eir shouted and leapt over the top of her sister as a giant suddenly towered above them. Saga screamed but Eir rose up, slicing with her cutlass while simultaneously stabbing upwards with her butterfly knife. Both blades caught and the giant staggered back as Irpa charged forward, slicing with her broadsword.

"VALKYRIES!" she shouted and then thumped the giant with her fist, punching it back out of the cave and down the mountain. "EIR! USE THE ROCKETS!" she said.

"I CAN'T! NO MORE RELOADS!" Eir said in dismay as the three of them retreated back into the cave.

"There's too many of them!" Saga said, aiming back down her shotgun. Dead-man's click. "I've got no more rounds!" she said, tossing aside the weapon and drawing the cutlass.

"Well we're screwed then" Eir said, readying herself for the next attack. Then however, Irpa stepped in front of them and tossed Jago's phone to Saga.

"I'll hold them off while you make the call" she said, hefting her sword.

"But Captain!" Eir said. "You can't hold them off for long!"

"Well you had better get a move on then!" the Valkyrie said to which Eir nodded and started dialling the number. As the phone rang, Irpa charged forwards, hollering her war cry and then she disappeared as she charged from the cave and out towards the waiting Jötunns. A few seconds later, the phone was answered:

"Hello? Jago is that you?"

"No this is Eir. IS that you Skuld?"

"Of course it's me! Where's Jago? He said he would call if-"

"Jago isn't here! Listen, we need you to come and get us! We're trapped and we have someone who's injured!" There was a pause.

"Hang on a sec" said Skuld and then there was the sound of muffled conversation. "Alright Eir, listen; Lady Valmeyar has a team ready to go and we're warming up the Tanngrisnir's engines so we'll be there in about seven minutes. Can you hold out that long?" Eir frowned in displeasure.

"Do we really have a choice?"

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The dragon glared down at Jago and Weth, considering what Jago had just said. Slowly, he lowered his head to the ground and stared at them critically.

"You?" the dragon growled in curiosity. "Hmm. I very much doubt it". Jago shrugged.

"Doubt it or not, it's what we're here for".

"You are unusually forward for a human" the dragon said.

"Well my mother always taught me that it's better to be forward than backward". The dragon gave him a cold stare and blinked slowly. And then he laughed.

"HA HA HA HA! Oh, I like that! You're funny for someone who I should by all rights consider to be supper!"

"Well I've heard of singing for your supper but have you ever had a supper that sings?" The dragon shook his head and continued to chuckle.

"No I haven't? Do you really?"

"I can a whole song and dance number if you really wanted me too" Jago said with a grin. "But you'd have to join in for the chorus!" Gandamak chuckled once more and beat his feet on the ground, causing it to tremble.

"Oh it's been a long time since I've laughed!" Gandamak said and leaned back down to inspect Jago once more. "I think perhaps I might have to keep you and eat your lady friend here instead". Then the dragon's face became sour. "No though, it is time to end this hilarity. Tell that pair who are skulking around in that tunnel to come out; there's no point hiding". There was a sigh from the tunnel as Lind emerged, followed rather nervously by Troubadour. "Well, well! The One-Winged Terror is here as well? Now this is a surprise!"

"Twin-Angel Lind if you _don't_ mind!" Lind snapped back, glaring up at the dragon. The dragon chuckled.

"Ah! Now that makes sense!" he said. "That must be why you don't end up flying in circles!" Lind stiffened but it was Jago who gave Gandamak a reply.

"Not cool!" he said, jerking his finger at Gandamak. The dragon snorted.

"Shut up funny-man" he snarled with disinterest and turned his attention back to Lind. "So my dear, may I meet this other angel of yours? I remember how I met your original one the first time we met… Spear Mint if I remember correctly". Lind ground her teeth but nodded and cautiously, both of her angels slowly materialised behind her. The dragon leaned forward and with a slow wink, inspected the blond beauty while Cool Mint simply glared up at the dragon, her face set in a furious glare. "Very pretty" he said softly, "just like her sister and Mistress". Cool Mint stuck out her tongue at the dragon, making him chuckle. "She has some spirit doesn't she?" Gandamak said and rose back up to his full height. Lind just snorted.

"Neither she nor I fear you Gandamak" she said simply. "And neither does Spear Mint". Her red-eyed angel nodded in agreement, folding her arms across her chest as she hovered beside her sister. Gandamak gave a respectful huff.

"That may be so but I must wonder about the rest of your group. Do they share your fearlessness?" He leaned down once more, this time inspecting Troubadour. The plum-tree spirit back away in fear as the dragon's head loomed large before him and Gandamak chuckled. "This one has fear. But what else can you expect from a plant-person?" He then turned to Weth and suddenly lunged forward, snapping his jaws closed and inch from her face. Weth gasped and stumbled backward, falling over herself as she tried to escape the dragon's terrible maw. "And for all her supposed power, this one has fear also. I have to say I am disappointed; I would have thought that Deaderuss's apprentice would have been a little more… well more". Gandamak then turned back to Lind and bared his fangs in the closest approximation he could make to a grin. "So Lind… You came here to kill me or so your monkey says. And how do you plan on doing that? A cowardly minstrel, an untried apprentice and…" He paused, leaning close to sniff at her. "…A pregnant Valkyrie? Now that IS unexpected! I didn't even know that Valkyries were allowed to be mothers".

"Your missed someone" Lind said, glaring at the dragon.

"Your ape? Not exactly much of threat now is he, even if he is funny? I was assuming that you simply brought him along to use as bait". He then however felt a surge of power and he snapped his head around just in time to see Lamb and Damascus emerge with a burst of light. "Nightmare and Fighting-Arch! Why are you here?" he said with a hiss. Then his eyes fell on Jago and he chuckled. "No… the funny man is the Paladin? A human?"

"Got it in one" Jago said with a wink. "And now I believe that we have you outnumbered". Gandamak snarled, gnashing his teeth as a little wisp of smoke emanated from the corner of his mouth.

"So it seems" he conceded with a snarl but then cocked his head. "But yet you woke me and lost the element of surprise. Why? If you had simply tried to kill me in my sleep then there is a good chance that at least one of you may have survived rather than you all dying in a suicidal attack". Jago sighed.

"Because mate, to be honest, I don't want to kill you". He leaned heavily on his maul and tipped back his hat. "For all the damage you did to me last time we met, I feel that I should at least listen to what you have to say. Besides, something Heimdall said-"

"NEVER MENTION THAT MAN!" Gandamak roared and lunged forwards, snapping his jaws at Jago. The huge teeth clashed together just in front of Jago's face but neither he nor his Archs moved an inch.

"Could you back off a bit, your breath stinks!" Lamb said, slowly wafting a hand in front of her face. The dragon turned his solitary eye on her and growled.

"Do not test me, _flutterbird!_" he snarled. "We both know that I could extinguish you with a careless flick of my tusks!"

"You would be dead before you could move an inch!" said Cool Mint, appearing beside Jago, her fists raised like a boxer. Gandamak turned his head a little and growled as Lind and Spear Mint also took up positions beside Jago, shortly followed by Troubadour and Weth, both looking terrified. The air began to crackle with energy as the little group tried to stare down the dragon until Jago took a step forward, putting himself between them and tried to diffuse the situation.

"Now look; just calm the fuck down! I want to avoid a fight if at all possible so if you don't mind…" Gandamak made a face marginally close to a scowl and Lind and the angels frowned but they all nodded so Jago turned back to Gandamak. "Look mate, I'm sorry I upset you but we do need to talk. From what I have been told, you are just as much a pawn in the greater scheme of things as the rest of us are and I need to figure out how everything fits together. Now would you be willing to talk to me peaceful like? And I promise, if you really want, as soon as we're finished, you can try and eat me. Does that sound like a fair deal?" Gandamak seemed to consider this for a second and nodded very slowly.

"I am willing to talk" he said. "However, I don't believe that I can trust you. You are the Paladin but you are also a human after all and by their very nature, humans are liars". Jago nodded.

"I can understand your concerns but I am not sure how I may be able to alleviate them. Perhaps… an exchange of information?" Gandamak paused and nodded.

"Alright" he said. "I will ask you a question and you shall answer. If I feel that you have answered truthfully then I will talk to you. Otherwise…" He didn't finish his threat, simply licked his lips. Jago nodded slowly.

"That sounds reasonable" he said. "Ask away". The dragon leaned closer, bringing his huge, luminous eye almost into Jago's face.

"Very well, here is my question; I know for a fact that this is not your entire contingent as there are others still out there. Tell me, how many others are there?"

"Three" Jago said. "Two trainee wish-granters and an injured Valkyrie Captain. However, the group has now grown to four as we ran into another Valkyrie who has been here ever since they last launched a raid here. That's everybody". There was silence for a second. And then Gandamak's eye narrowed.

"LIAR!" he snarled.

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Eir and Saga stood back to back in the mouth of the cave, fighting desperately to hold back the Jötunns. They were coated head to toe in blood, both their own and that of the giants and their uniforms that had once been a glorious deep purple were now a foul red. They gasped for breath as they drove back the latest giants and Eir paused, pressing a rag she had torn from her skirt to her wrist to staunch a particularly severe cut.

"I think we've had it" she gasped as the next wave of Jötunns started to form up for a charge.

"I think you may be right sister" Saga agreed and she gave a sour grin. "Perhaps coming on this expedition wasn't such a good idea?"

"You got that right" Eir said and they both lapsed into silence. They knew they were dead; there was no way that they could be saved before the rescue team got here and while Skuld had said seven minutes, it might as well have been seven hours. Irpa was probably already dead; they hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since she had gone on her reckless charge and they knew that it wouldn't be long until they went the same way. Suddenly Saga gave a little chuckle.

"You know what I just realised? We are probably the epitome of synchronisation but there is one thing we have never got around to discussing".

"What's that?"

"Boys" Saga said simply. Eir gave a strangled snort.

"Is this really the time?" she asked. Saga shrugged.

"Never gonna get another chance" she said. "Do you wanna go first?" Eir paused and then nodded.

"Alright; I like girls sister dear". Saga looked around at her in astonishment.

"And you never thought to mention this?"

"It didn't seem important. I just always assume you like girls too". Saga couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well blow me down. My sister is a lesbian and I never knew!"

"You're the weird one!" Eir mockingly protested. "There are far more girls than boys in Heaven!" The two laughed and then the smiles faded. The Jötunns had by now reassembled and were coming for them.

"Well, whatever the case may be, it has been a please knowing you sister dear!" Saga levelling her cutlass at the enemy.

"And you my dearest sister!" Eir replied, spinning the her butterfly knife in one hand and twirling her own cutlass in the other. And then, the charge faltered. They could hear engines. And music:

_BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!_

_Gonna shoot ya right down!_

_Take you in my arms!_

_I'm in love with you!_

_Love that is true!_

_Boom, boom, boom, boom!_

The Jötunn charge faltered in its step and all eyes turned skyward, searching for the source of the sound. And then, coming in low over the mountains, like a messenger from Heaven it came; the distinctive shape of the Tanngrisnir.

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"What? I never lied!" Jago said desperately.

"YOU LIE AGAIN PALADIN! ALL YOU HUMANS DO!"

"But he's telling the truth!" Lind said, stepping forward and levelling her halberd.

"THEN WHY DID I JUST DETECT THE ARRIVAL OF FIFTY PRAETORIANS?" Lind's face suddenly paled and her blood ran cold.

"Oh no" she whispered. "The rescue team!"

"YOU HAVE LED MY ENEMIES TO ME AND THEN YOU SORT TO DISTRACT ME WITH TALK! BUT YOU FORGET; THE MOMENT THEY ENTERED, THEY CREATED A MASSIVE GRAVITATIONAL PULSE! I KNEW THEY WERE HERE THE MOEMENT THEY ARRIVED!" He then let out a roar that seemed to shatter the Heavens and shook the Earth. "NOW IS THE END OF TALK! YOU SHALL DIE!" And with that, the mighty dragon surged forward, spewing fire as he came.

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The twins gave a great shout of joy as the huge aircraft roared overhead, its rotors tilting to vertical so that it could hover overhead. Then came the dakka as a series of hatches along the port side of aircraft swung back and a trio of weapons appeared; a twenty-five mil rotary cannon, a fourty mil bofors gun and a one-o-five howitzer and the guns began pouring shot into the massed ranks of the Jötunns, driving them back through sheer weight of fire. It was then that the rear ramp was lowered and with a great shout, fifty praetorians leapt from the rear of the aircraft, using their great wings to descend to Earth like a swarm of avenging angels. Which technically they were. Lady Valmeyar was the first to touch down and quickly turned to her comrades.

"Form a perimeter around the area and drive the Jötunns back from the trees! And tell Skuld to concentrate her fire to the South; that's where most of the giants are coming from!" The Praetorians nodded and went about their business with cold-blooded efficiency, tearing into the Jötunns with blades and hammers and magic. With that, Valmeyar turned to the twins and removed her helmet. "Good to see the pair of you!" she said, shaking out her powder-blue hair.

"It's good to see you too my Lady!" the twins said, giving a low bow. "You got here just in the nick of time!" Valmeyar nodded and smiled.

"Sorry about that; traffic. Now what's the situation? And where are the others?" The twins paused for a second.

"Perhaps you should follow us" said Saga.

"It's gonna take a while to explain" agreed Eir.

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Lamb charged the dragon head on and brought her fist around in an arc, slamming it into the side of Gandamak's head. The blow knocked the entire beast sideways and sent him sliding across the flood of the cave. However, this was the only blow that any of them managed to land. Within seconds, the dragon was back on his feet and swatted Lamb aside before rearing and bringing his full weight down on Lind and her angels. The trio gripped Lind's halberd for dear life and it saved them from being crushed. However, the blow was enough to knock them flat and unable to fight for a considerable length of time. Next, Damascus launched a Concussion spell at him but he simply shrugged it off and slammed her against the wall with the thick fingers of his left hind-wing. He paused to savour his handiwork and growled in contempt but his satisfaction was over in an instant as Weth brought her claymore down hard on Gandamak's tail. When Keiichi had done this, he had caused deep gashes and cuts that had bled profusely. However, with the added power of a Praetorian behind it, the Ever-sharp blade hacked clean through the thick muscle and bone severing the last six foot of Gandamak's tail. At the same time, Troubadour leapt atop the dragon and jabbed the eye with his rapier, temporarily blinding the dragon. Gandamak gave a horrifying, shrieking roar and went berserk, snapping, rolling and belching flame throughout the cavern. And in the process, defeating his last two attackers, almost crushing the pair beneath his massive bulk. Finally though, he began to calm and stopped, clawing at his eye stalk with one of his forelegs.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!" he hissed. "I WILL DEVOUR YOU ALL!"

"Not today you won't!" And Gandamak turned. And gave a hiss of fear.

"Opal-essence! OPAL-ESSENCE!" he growled in terror, his eye rolling white.

"The name is Jupiter! And I'm about to open up a can of whoop on your ass!"

*1 Don't try this at home. Really don't. I know a guy who did this, he overheated the tin, it exploded and he ended up with a hand full of shrapnel. Not pretty.

*2 Apparently this actually works; Viagra is used to treat pulmonary oedema for victims at high altitude. But what a thing to carry around with yourself!

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! I tell you what, this was a difficult one knock together! I mean, I had the basic premise but nothing concrete until I actually started writing. But now it's done! And maybe I can relax!**

**To my friend Grundini**:** Thank you for the great review, it was the highlight of my day! I did try to send you a PM but you appear to have disabled them. Shame! I was gonna say that in reference to Jago's fighting style, you weren't actually too far off as I was aiming for some kind of mix of Crocodile Dundee and a Ghurkha, with maybe a little Popeye thrown in for flavour (but no spinach I can assure you!) **

**Just one more thing; I've got to move out of my flat over the summer and find some work so I can afford Uni next year. I am definitely going to have at least one more chapter done before then (possibly more!) and will try to get some more done over the summer. If I suddenly stop uploading chapters, don't worry; I haven't abandoned it! It just means that I don't have any internet to upload with, in which case, I'll upload any new chapters in September.**

**And before I forget: THANK YOU TO ALL FOR THE 1000 HITS!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**The Mind of Jago**

**Or**

**Cool Mint's Blunder**

The dragon growled as Jupiter took a step forward, cracking his neck as he came.

"How is this possible? Prometheus sealed the strength of men so that they could never rise against him and his Masters! How is it that that seal has been broken?" Jupiter shrugged and dropped his weapons, cracking his knuckles.

"I don't know" he admitted. "But what I do know is that I'm strong and you..."He raised the brim of his hat and grinned as his red eyes flashed. "…You are in need of a _severe _beating!" He pulled his set of brass knuckles from his pockets and slotted them over his fingers. "This is gonna be fun! I've never been in a fist-fight with a dragon before!" With that, he roared and leapt, slamming his right fist hard into the dragon's skull.

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Lamb grunted as she pulled herself to her feet, aching all over.

"Ow" she said and then winced, realising that one of her wings had become dislocated. Gritting her teeth, she grasped it and with a shout that became a scream, she wrenched forward, she jammed it back into its socket. She bit her hand to stop the scream and when she took it away, she saw blood where she had pierced the skin. "Dammit!" she muttered to herself. Then she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. She turned in a blind panic to face the dragon as it roared but the sight she saw shocked her; her Master was scrambling all-over the mighty beast, apparently beating the shit out of it using nothing but his fists.

"Lamb!" Lamb turned as Cool Mint slowly drifted over to her.

"You look dreadful" Lamb commented and it was true, she did. Her blond hair was singed and ruffled, her wrap was torn and stained and her usually flawless skin was marred with dirty great bruises. "What happened? Did you get stomped on or something?"

"Yep" said Cool Mint, drifting down beside her. They both turned to watch as Jago grasped Gandamak by the back of the head and started to slam it against the wall of the cave. "So… do you think we should help?"

"That might not be such a good idea" Lamb said. "He's gone Jupiter on us and he's liable to pull your wing off with his bare hands and then bugger you to death with the sticky end".

"Well isn't it a bit irresponsible to let him face Gandamak on his own?" Lamb pursed her lips at this and they watched as Jupiter leapt from the dragon's back, landing nimbly behind him. The dragon tried to run, all ten feet scampering as fast as they could but Jupiter grasped him by the tail spikes, just above the section that had been severed by Weth's attack and started slowly and inexorably drawing the dragon backward, hand over hand.

"Get back here you big perentie!" he said with a wicked grin as the dragon whimpered in terror. By this point, the others were coming to stand beside Lamb and Cool Mint, all turning to watch the fight. By now, Jago had pulled the dragon far enough back that he could reach the base of his tail and then, still grasping the spines with one hand, he whipped out his khukuri and jammed it deep into muscle. The dragon shrieked in agony and redoubled its efforts to escape. Jupiter simply grinned and released his hold on the spine while still holding onto while maintaining his grip on the big knife. The dragon shot forward and the blade sliced the through the tough muscle and scale, leaving a deep gash all along its length.

"No, I think Jupiter has this under control" Lamb said.

"If I might ask; if he's owning Gandamak's arse so easily then why on Earth did he insist on bringing a team with him?" Weth asked. "I could have stayed at home in bed rather than come here and almost get myself killed!"

"Two reasons I think" said Lind, leaning against her halberd. "Firstly; Jago wasn't sure that he would be able to defeat Gandamak even if he did use Jupiter. Secondly; what we're likely going to have to do once he's finished fighting the dragon".

"When he's finished? What do you mean?" Lind didn't answer, just turned away. Damascus laid a hand on her shoulder and gave a sad smile.

"Look Weth" she said. "We have no idea what Jupiter is or where he came from. What we do know is that however, is if Jago can't take control back from Jupiter and he doesn't use up all of his power fighting Gandamak then Jupiter will try to kill us. And that means we have kill him first". Weth looked horrified.

"But why? Aren't you his-"

"Yes" Damascus said. "And that's why we have to kill him. No-one else could". Then the chamber fell silent. Weth turned back around and looked in horror as Jago climbed down off of Gandamak's crumpled form. And he grinned at them. A horrifying, psychotic grin of one totally deranged.

"Now that was fun!" he said, brandishing his blade at them. He kicked Gandamak's head out of his way as he walked forward and then stopped, still grinning. "So who's next then?"

"You are Jupiter" said Lind, her voice heavy with resignation. "You know what Jago asked me to do if he had to use you again; we are to kill him and I take Lamb and Damascus until we can find them a new host". Jupiter nodded and grinned.

"Brilliant Lind!" he said. "I have been meaning to get back at you for helping Jago defeat me during our last meeting!" Lind nodded sadly and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She then steeled herself and disintegrated her halberd, pulling forth her seax knife.

"Weth, Troubadour, get out of here" she said. "You two are outclassed and will only get yourselves killed". Lamb then took a stand beside her and summoned her huge buster sword, balancing it on her shoulder. The Mint Sisters then took up their own position beside their Mistress while opposite them was Damascus, her hands crackling with energy. Jupiter laughed.

"Five against one?" he said. "Not exactly a fair fight now is it? You need a few more to make it a fair fight!"

"Correction, it's six against one!" said Troubadour. "I may have my faults but I am willing to face you if I must Paladin!"

"Make that eight!" Weth said and with that, her angel appeared behind her. She had once been beautiful; she was a little shorted than her Mistress and had blond ringlets that contrasted with Weth's flowing mane of black locks. However, her face was horrifying. One the right side, she was still beautiful, her skin flawless and smooth, her green eye shining bright. Her left side however had been horribly disfigured; her skin burned or melted away, leaving exposed flesh and cartilage below, her teeth clearly visible though the hole where her cheek should have been, her eye milky and white, leaving her blinded. But now, for all her disfigurement, she was ready to fight and she raised her fists in gesture of defiance.

"I am Solar Radiance!" she said. "And my Mistress and I will fight you to our last breath Paladin!" Jupiter paused for a second, his smile fading. And then he started to laugh.

"Looks like we got ourselves a fair fight now then! But I have to wonder, do any of you really have the stomach to kill me?" And with that he roared, blurred and charged…

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And he ran headfirst into the far wall.

"Did he mean to do that?" Weth asked as Jupiter pulled himself free of the wall.

"I don't think so" Lamb said and then to their surprise, Jupiter started shouting at himself.

"PLUTO! YOU DARE TO INTERFERE AGAIN!" Then he did something weird; he _twitched_. His whole body gave a little shudder and he spoke again, except now his voice different. Jupiter's voice was dark and deep, like the stirrings of some ancient subterranean monster but this other voice was different; a calming, soothing sound filled with a kind of sad resignation.

"Shut it Jupiter" the voice said. "You really think I'm going to let you try anything? Go back to your shadows so we can all have some peace". He twitched once more and his voice returned to that of Jupiter.

"You're a bastard Pluto! But just remember; you haven't beaten me! You-"

"I said shut it. You're not a movie villain so don't try any of that stupid evil one-liner 'I will have my revenge' crap". Jupiter growled but to the surprise of everyone present, he faded away, leaving Jago standing, facing the wall still. But no, this wasn't Jago. And he turned, revealing copper coloured eyes and a smile. "Sorry about that. Jupiter's a nuisance isn't he?" Lamb shot forward and sliced at him with her buster sword.

"DIE!" she screamed, tears in her eyes, knowing that she was about to kill her Master. However, he simply caught the blade between the thumb and index finger of his right hand.

"What the Hell?" he said. "Why are you trying to kill me?"

"You have to die Jupiter! And if it has to be me to kill you then so be it!" To her surprise, her Master smiled, flicked away her sword and then drew her into a tight hug.

"You silly girl" he said. "Weren't you listening? I'm not Jupiter!" He realised her and then turned to face the rest of the group. Suddenly, this new being began to glow with a white energy that seemed to radiate a sickening amount of happiness and good will, then he swept off his hat and bowed.

"Allow me to introduce myself" he said. "They call me Brother Pluto!"

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"You're Pluto?" Damascus asked, floating closer.

"That's me" Pluto said. "Opal-essence of light and Jupiter's polar opposite. While he is a destroyer of worlds, my job is to act as his negating influence. Although you shouldn't mistake me for a weakling or pacifist; you do that and I'll still have to serve up your arse on a silver platter. I just won't take any pleasure in doing so".

"Who's Pluto?" Lind asked as she joined them, leaning on her halberd. "And what exactly is an Opal-essence?"

"We met someone called Pluto once" said Lamb, circling her Master cautiously. "It was during the inauguration; Jupiter almost took over back then but Pluto forced him back into whatever corner of Jago's mind he came from which let us escape. As to an Opal-essence, I don't know what that is". By this point, the others had begun to drift over to inspect this being who was inhabiting Jago's body.

"He doesn't look that different" said Solar Radiance. "In fact he looks just like the Paladin but with different coloured eyes". Pluto smiled and stepped up to the angel.

"Thank you lass" he said. Then, with a sudden flash of his hand, the angel gave a shriek and clasped both hands to her ruined face. Weth was on him in a second, bearing Pluto to the ground and preparing to stab down with her knife.

"HOW DARE YOU! I'LL-"

"WAIT MISTRESS!" said Solar Radiance, removing her hands. And revealing her now healed face. Weth was stunned.

"How…? What…?" she said.

"I healed her face" Pluto said simply. "It's wrong for anyone to be hurt like that". Weth slowly rose and machine like, she started to caress her angel's face.

"What on Earth are you?" Cool Mint whispered. "You can't be Jago; he wouldn't-"

"It's Master alright" said Damascus, backing away from Pluto and completing her surreptitious scan of him. "Or at least part of him I think. It's almost as if Jago's soul has been divided with Jupiter representing darkness and this guy-Pluto, representing light". Pluto wriggled his hand in a so-so gesture.

"Sort of… I'm an Opal-essence, not a soul. It's kinda hard to explain but… think of me as something like an extension of Jago's soul. I'm a part of him and yet a completely separate entity, as is Jupiter. And for you Damascus, I wouldn't get too close if I were you. I'm pure light energy; get too close and you'll be converted into an angel faster than you could blink. In fact, the same thing would happen if Lamb got too close to Jupiter but-" And he collapsed.

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"Jago? Pluto? Whoever you are, are you alright?" Lind said, slapping his cheek to wake him. Pluto's head jerked up, and he rubbed his temple.

"I'm alive if that's what you mean. Still Pluto at the moment though". He sat up and groaned. "Well that was unpleasant" he said. "Give me a second, I need to check something". And then he blacked out again.

"Now this is just getting silly!" Spear Mint said. "Does anybody have any idea what's going on here? First he's Jupiter, then some new guy called Pluto shows up and then he collapses twice in thirty seconds!"

"I'm back again" said Pluto, sitting up once more. "And we may have a problem…"

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_Jupiter crowed with delight as he retreated deep inside Jago's mind, dragging ID behind him._

_"So Pluto thinks he can drive me back does he? Well let's see him get to me now!" And he ran, racing through Jago's mind like a windstorm. Through memories, thoughts, desires, fears and hopes. On he ran. And then he reached it; his fortress._

_"Why are you doing this Jupiter?" the ID asked, struggling in the grip of the Opal-essence. "Do you really want out that badly?"_

_"Quiet you!" Jupiter said. "You get no say in this! I WILL be free and there's not a damn thing that they can do about it! Let's see them come and get me now!" _

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"Ok, let me try and explain this in as few words as possible" Pluto said. "An Opal-essence is similar in form to an angel for a goddess; a symbol of a human being's soul and condition. Every human has two of them, one that represents light and one dark and between them, they help to make up the psyche, along with the ID which represents the base being as being the repository for most of the memories and experience. You with me so far?" Lind nodded.

"Alright… I've never heard anything about this before but I guess it makes sense. So, where exactly do you come from? How did Jago end up with you?"

"The Opal-essence pair are always present within humans. Most of the time, we're sealed with only minimal control or influence over people, sort of like… a little imaginary angel and a devil sitting on the shoulder. In fact that is actually US. In this case, I would be sort of like Jago's shoulder angel."

"So Jupiter's the devil?" Damascus asked.

"That's right" said Jago. "Anyway, most of the time, we're not even aware that we exist as the ID controls most of the actual running of the body. In this case, the ID is Jago in himself; he is Jupiter and I plus everything else. And as I can see this question coming up, I'll answer it before it's asked; no I don't know why Jupiter and I are so active within Jago. All I know is that we are… and with either one of us present, Jago has access to PHENOMINAL power. You know, the stuff that goddesses should only by rights possess".

"But… why? Why would humans need that level of power?" Pluto sighed.

"I don't know. I only know what I know I know. Heck, until a few days ago, I didn't even know I existed! Now though, I appear to be capable of manifesting myself within Jago. Ok?" Lind nodded.

"Sorry… this is all still kind of weird to me" she said and then paused. "You said there was some kind of problem?"

"Ah! Yes, about that" said Pluto. "After watching the duel between you and Jupiter during the Deity Games, I decided it would probably be for the best if I kept him from trying to take over Jago entirely and it's worked twice now but with one catch; Jupiter is now incredibly pissed off and has decided to force me back into wherever I came from inside Jago's head and then take over. And to do that, he's stolen Jago's ID".

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There was stunned silence from all around as they considered what had just been said.

"You say that the Paladin's ID is what makes him who he is most of the time, with you and this Jupiter character being like the extremes of his personality?" Troubadour said and Pluto nodded. "So what would Jupiter plan to do if he has stolen the ID?"

"Most likely, he would try and convert the ID into another version of himself. He wouldn't be as powerful as the real Jupiter but you can imagine what would happen if Jago was evil by default". There was a moment of contemplation as they all tried to picture what would happen if a pure evil Jago was walking around. It wasn't pretty.

"So what can we do about it?" Lamb asked. "I'm not having Master turned evil by that _thing_". Pluto nodded to her.

"Well, there is one thing we can do; you can go in after him and try and get him back from Jupiter. It'll be risky but-"

"I'm in" said Lamb. "I'll get Jago back even if it means I have to face Jupiter on my own".

"She won't be alone either" said Damascus. "I've got some knowledge of dark power so I might be able be of use. Plus" she said, tapping the side of her head, "I know how Jupiter thinks". Pluto chuckled.

"You didn't even give me chance to tell you about the mind-bending horrors that you would witness while you were in there! Still, it's good to know that I can rely on you".

"And I'm coming too" said Lind.

"And us!" Said the Mint Sisters. This time though, Pluto spun around and with a frown, he pointed a finger at them.

"No" he said with some finality. "Have you any idea what we may encounter inside of Jago's head? And I don't just mean Jupiter! Memories, thoughts, dreams and desires… And you probably not like what you see. There is some fucked up shit going on inside of here!" He tapped the side of his head to emphasise his point. Lind folded her arms and scowled.

"If you are really part of Jago then you should know that I have been inside that head before. This won't be anything new".

"You've never been inside like this" Pluto said. "There are things that he's kept hidden from you… things that could REALLY fuck up your relationship, if not your sanity".

"Well that's a risk I'm just gonna have to take" Lind said. "And my girls are coming with me; I'm probably gonna need the support". Pluto sighed and nodded.

"Alright but don't touch anything. Oh and _definitely_ don't interfere with any memories we run into, not if you want Jago to still be the same person after he's been rescued".

"Hang on a minute" said Weth, having finally recovered from the shock of Pluto's healing. "What do the rest of us do? If you're all going inside his mind-"

"We'll be traveling at the speed of neural impulse Weth" Pluto said. "For us, what may seem like hours will be, in reality, closer to about a second".

"But what about-"

"And the dragon isn't going to be awake for a while. Now if you don't mind, we need to get on". Pluto turned to the little group. "Right; Lamb and Damascus, back inside. You know where to meet me right?" The Archs nodded and disappeared, re-entering Jago's mind. Pluto then turned to Lind and her angels. "You three next then. Place your foreheads against mine, clear your minds and then think "Pluto". It will draw you to me and I'll be able to guide you to Jupiter from there". He lay down on the ground and placed his hands behind his head. "I'm going under now. See you in a few minutes". With that, Pluto shut his eyes and the body went rigid. Lind glanced at her angels who nodded determinedly.

"Right… let's do this for Jago" Lind said and the three laid their heads against his and then went stiff themselves as their collective consciousness were transferred into Jago's mind.

"So…" said Troubadour, feeling awkward.

"Well I'm told that Jago generally keeps a deck of cards in his pocket" said Weth. "Do you place poker?" Troubadour grinned.

"I cheat at poker".

"Well that's alright" said Solar Radiance. "So do we".

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Lind's mental avatar gave a little shudder as she stepped across the mental bridge between herself and Jago, stepping into what appeared to be a dark region of nothingness.

"Well this is dull" she said to herself and raised a hand to see if it was nothingness or just very dark inside of Jago's head. It was impossible to tell; her avatar glowed with some kind of pale internal light that didn't appear to illuminate anything around her except herself.

"Mistress!" Lind turned a little groggily to see her angels drifting over to her through space.

"It's good to see you girls" she said, smiling.

"You too Mistress" said Spear Mint. "But where exactly are we?"

"If I had to hazard a guess, we're inside of Jago's head, although…"

"It's a bit empty isn't it?"

"Sorry! My fault!" They all turned to see someone who resembled Jago approaching them. He wasn't quite Jago though. His eyes were copper-coloured and instead of Jago's usual jeans and leather jacket, he wore the colourful robes of a _houngan sur pwen_ (*1) and carried a staff in one hand. However, he still carried a khukuri on his belt and on his head, he wore a black Stetson with a REME cap badge.

"Some things never change" Cool Mint muttered to which Lind smiled.

"Brother Pluto right?" she asked. The robed figure bowed his head and tipped his hat.

"That's me" he said. "Sorry you girls ended up here, I was aiming to drop you inside Jago's mind but because of how it works, I ended up dropping you off where the ID used to be. Are you feeling ok? The trip wasn't too hard on you?" Lind shrugged.

"It was unpleasantly like being drunk" she said.

"What's the matter with being drunk?" Pluto asked and snapped his fingers, making a door appear in mid-air.

"Ask a glass of water" muttered Spear Mint.

"What was that?" Pluto asked.

"Nothing" the angel said hastily.

"Good" said Pluto with a smile. "In that case, if you ladies would be willing to follow me, the others are waiting for us".

8888

Lamb and Damascus were reclining in the air, waiting for them as they stepped through the door. The air itself was sort of a muddy green-brown colour with strange shadows that appeared to fade in and out of the murk. Damascus spotted them and frowned.

"Where the Hell have you been!" she snapped. "We've been waiting for hours in here for you!"

"Well technically, you've only been waiting for a few seconds" said Pluto. "It just seems longer because this particular part of Jago's brain doesn't get used very often".

"If I could ask a question" said Lind. "What's with the fish?" She pointed upward to where a huge Piraíba catfish was swimming around above them.

"Oh that's probably Jago" said Lamb. "Or at least a version of him".

"What?" Lamb sighed.

"We appear to be inside a part of Jago's brain that controls imagination and belief. And as it turns out that Jago believes in reincarnation. Possibly an odd theory considering that he's agnostic and living with Norse goddess but there you go".

"I still don't get it" said Spear Mint. "What does that have to do with that fish?"

"Jago thinks that he was catfish in a previous life so technically, that fish is him". All eyes turned upwards and they watched the Jago-fish swim around a bit more. It started following one of the shadows and then with a sudden burst of speed, it shot forward and engulfed it whole, swallowing whole what appeared to be a fourty-plus pound fish.

"You know, for his brilliance, he is a strange one" said Cool Mint.

"This is just the boring bit of the brain" said Pluto, summoning another door with a snap of his fingers. "We're taking a short-cut to Jupiter so if you'd all please follow me. Oh and scrape your feet before you come through; it's a pain clean imagination out of memories".

8888

"Now where are we?" Lind asked. "It looks like a ruined city". And indeed it did; every building was shattered and bullet-scarred and the smoke from numerous fires darkened the sky.

"Is this a memory?" Cool Mint asked. "I know Jago said he had family in the army but I pretty sure he's never fought a war".

"No, it's not a memory" said Pluto with a touch of distaste. "It's a fantasy".

"A fantasy? What the Hell kind of fantasy is this?!" Then they heard a noise coming towards them from between a pair of ruined buildings; a horrifying, growling moan. They all turned as a figure emerged from the shadows and started shuffling towards them, mouth open and arms outstretched.

"A zombie? Seriously?" said Lind. "And why does it look like Deaderuss?" There was a sudden bang and creature's head exploded.

"WHOA! WHAT WAS THAT?" said Damascus as they all dived for cover.

"BOO-YAH! HEAD-SHOT!" Lind cautiously poked her head out from behind her hiding place to see a tall, muscle bound version of Jago cock his rifle and go racing off, cackling insanely as he ran.

"Hunting zombies? That's a fantasy?" She paused and thought this through. "Hang on, do all the zombies look like Deaderuss?" There was a shout from above them as they emerged, followed by a series of loud moans and then a continuous whirring noise.

"What's happening?" Lamb asked Lind.

"The Jago-avatar appears to be standing atop a pile of rubble, mowing down countless legions of Deaderuss zombies with a large mini-gun. Oh and a big-breasted version of me in see-through bikini has just shown up and started hacking my way through the Deaderusses". Lind paused in her explanation and glanced at Pluto. "Is this seriously what goes on inside his head?"

"Don't look at me" said Pluto, rubbing his face in embarrassment. "To kill vast hordes of your worst enemy with a high powered weapon, alongside a scantily clad women is one time fantasy for about ninety per cent of all men. Although zombies are strictly optional".

"Why haven't we moved on yet?" asked Spear Mint. "Surely Jupiter hasn't brought the real Jago here?"

"I have to wait a few minutes after each jump before we can make the next one. The bigger the memory or fantasy or the more emotional it is, the longer it takes before I can make our next jump. And this is one of the big ones. That's part of the problem of traveling through minds like this. And that creates another problem; if we stumble into something that we don't really want to see, we can't leave immediately". Pluto paused in his narration and snapped his fingers, summoning the next door. "Anyway, moving swiftly onwards…"

8888

"It's dark in here" said Lamb, "and why can I taste a prawn-cocktail sandwich?"(*2)

"Jago's first memory" said Pluto. "He's actually not been born yet. The taste _is_ the memory. A couple of hours before he was born, his mum had a prawn-cocktail sandwich and somehow, Jago seemed to taste it. It probably explains why he's a bit odd. Luckily, this is only a small memory so…"

"Just a minute Pluto" said Damascus. "Are you choosing where we end up? Or are we just jumping randomly?"

"We're taking the path of least resistance to Jago; we'll be landing in random memories but they'll all be laid out chronologically along Jago's time line. To put it another way, if the next memory is from when he was five then the one after will be from at least that point onward. Also, while I am keeping us either in the memories or in the remembered imagination, we won't be going into other parts of the brain. It would take longer and besides, there's some fucked up shit out there. Now if there aren't any more questions, we should be continuing swiftly onwards".

8888

"This is a good one" Pluto said. "One of his first properly clear memories; his mother's wedding to his step-farther". It was a large hotel with friends and family all around. Photos were being taken and Tam and Jago's step-father were standing together; she in a beautiful deep blue gown and him in his No.1 ceremonial dress uniform. And in front of them, in a miniature version of his father's uniform and clutching his father's hat with a broad grin, was Jago.

"Oh he's so cute!" Spear Mint whispered. "How old was he?"

"About four" said Pluto. "And as proud as anything to be the page boy. Still, we can't stop long, we've got things to do". He paused and looked around, then realised they were missing someone. "COOL MINT! PUT THAT CAKE DOWN! YOU'RE GONNA FUCK THINGS UP!" The angel paused, the fork half way to her mouth and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry… I was hungry". Pluto sighed.

"I'll tell Jago to make rat fricassee when we get out but I did warn you; if you touch anything, you alter the memory… and there's also a chance that while you're touching it, you'll be visible to Jago. Luckily, it doesn't look like he's noticed us but I suggest that we leave ASAP". Pluto snapped his fingers and they left, slipping through as quickly as possible. However, what they hadn't realised was that one of them had indeed been spotted.

"Mummy?" asked the young Jago.

"Yes dear?" Tam replied.

"Do angels always come to weddings?" His mother, looked confused but smiled.

"I don't know. Perhaps if you see one, you should ask her". Jago paused and nodded as solemnly as a four year old was capable of.

"Alright. I'll ask her when she comes back".

8888

They travelled onward, passing through several more memories as they went, Jago's move to Germany, the birth of the twins and a few other odds and sods. There was one of particular note though; being sent to boarding school. This version of Jago was about thirteen and compared to Jago now, he was much thinner. In fact he was worryingly thin and for one good reason; bullies. For Jago had believed that he had seen an angel but in an army school, religion equalled ridicule. Lind gave this Jago a disgusted look as he sat quietly at his desk.

"Where did the Jago I know come from? This guy wouldn't stand up for himself even if his life depended on it! I just want to slap him, he's worse than Keiichi!" Pluto shrugged.

"People change" he said. "Just watch". The door opened and Jago's father entered, his mother just behind him.

"Hi Jago. Can we talk?" Jago paused in his writing and nodded, setting down his pen and turned to his parents.

"Yeah dad? What's up?"

"Well Jago, your mother and I have been talking" said his dad. "And we're worried about you".

"Me? I'm fine" Jago said but his father shook his head.

"No Jago, you're not. We both know that you're having trouble at school and we think that you could do with a… change of scenery". Jago cocked his head a little, looking confused.

"A change of scenery? Dad, we move every eighteen months".

"He didn't mean like that" said Tam. "Look Jago, what we're trying to say is-"

"We're sending you to a boarding school" his dad said simply. Jago opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the right words.

"What?" he eventually managed in the smallest voice possible.

"Look Jago, here's the thing. We know you still believe you saw that angel, that one with the one wing…" Cool Mint gave a little gasp, "but we think it's high time for you to grow up a little. And we thought it would be best if you went to a boarding school to do it. You know; make a fresh start away from all those people who you've been having trouble with. So what do you say?" Jago didn't say anything, just sat staring and then turned away, going back to his work.

"Jago…" his mother said but his father stopped her.

"Leave him. He'll be alright". The closed the door behind them and then something occurred to Cool Mint.

"Pluto, could you tell me something? These are his proper memories right? So why didn't he ever mention anything like this?"

"Something interesting about memories lass; when you change them, you actually change the past. So when you tried to eat that cake, you were _really _there. Jago saw you and it affected him deeply, making him soft and religious. VERY Christian. And that shaped who he is now. Don't worry though, he'll still be the same person when we find him. It's sort of like a… causality loop; you affected Jago, sent him down this path and it has brought you back to the point you started via causing you start the loop again".

"Hang on a minute" said Lind doubtfully. "Are you saying that a second's view of one of my angels eating cake helped to make Jago who he is now?"

"Yep" said Pluto. "Just see take a look and see what he's doing". So they did, peering over the young Jago's shoulders. He was drawing. And it was Cool Mint. Jago wasn't a great artist but it was pretty clear who it was meant to be, with the deep blue eyes and a single wing on her right-hand side.

"Well that's definitely me" said Cool Mint. "Pluto, how badly have I fucked up?"

"Well in all honesty? Either monumentally or not at all. By being seen, you have fundamentally affected Jago. However, it seems like that was meant to happen… call it fate if you will. Not Jago's favourite word, but still". Pluto sighed and snapped his fingers. "Now stop asking difficult questions. I'm just the Opal-essence, not the ID! So let's go!" The others nodded and stepped through the door. But Cool Mint lingered. Just for a second.

"For whatever I have done to you Jago… and for whatever pain I am going to cause you in the future… I am sorry". She then turned to leave, a single tear on her cheek, not hearing Jago speak.

"Thank you my angel" he whispered. "Whoever you are… I hope that never forget you". And with that, he took the drawing he had made of Cool Mint and with a slow, deliberate action, he tore it up. "A new day, a new start" he whispered and then slipped the pieces of the picture inside the cover of a book. "Let's see just what happens now".

8888

"Well was fairly… odd" said Lamb to Damascus. "So Cool Mint appears to have been a fairly important factor in Jago's life".

"So it would seem" said the devil, pursing her lips. "We're gonna have to talk to her and Jago when we get out of here". She then turned to Pluto. "So where are we now?" she asked.

"The school" said Pluto. "The day before Jago was shipped off to boarding school. And you're gonna like this one". He winked as Jago walked into the room and pulled up a seat in a quiet corner, a book in his hand and sat down to read.

"He looks just as soft as ever" said Lind with distaste. "I still can't believe this is the same guy".

"Well just watch this". As if on cue, someone else entered. "Thrasher Bentwick" Pluto said, nodding at the other boy. "Nemesis of bookworms, nerds and oddballs the world over. At least until today".

"Well look! If it isn't Angel Boy?" Jago scowled.

"What do you want now?" he said with distaste. The exchange was brief and what you might expect; Bentwick tried to get Jago's goat with name and then physical abuse.

"I'm still not impressed" said Lind. "What exactly is going to happen?" Then it happened; four years of abuse and Jago snapped. And it's the quiet ones that snap the loudest. Unfortunately, the Goddess of Censorship had to intercede on the behalf of the author as the following section is far too gruesome to be described in any kind of detail. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and then get back to the story without any more breaks in the fourth wall.

"Whoa" said Lind. "Ok, maybe I was wrong about him being a wimp. Are you sure that Jupiter only came out a couple of years back?"

"No that was just years of frustration and emotion all let go at once. The idiot should never have touched Jago's book".

"You can say that again!" said Lamb. "Looks like they're going to be scraping his teeth of the floor for weeks!"

"It was just as well it was his last day here" said Pluto. "From, it all went downhill. Although I guess that's spoilers". He sighed. "Lamb, don't take the teeth as souvenirs. We need to keep moving if we're to get to Jago before Jupiter can convert him".

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_Jupiter ground his teeth at Jago's ID as he tried desperately to break through his defences. _

_"Come now Jago, you must understand! I have only our best interests at heart!" _

_"Yeeeaaahhhh… Suuuurrreee ya do!" said Jago, as he fought back mentally against Jupiter. "If you really wanted to help me then you wouldn't have taken me so far up my own arse that I need a window in my stomach to see where I'm going!"_

_"You're not in the stomach, you're in the brain"._

_"You know what I mean!" The two continued to grunt and struggle as they each tried to penetrate the other's mind shield. Jago however was struggling, his natural strength no match for that of Jupiter._

_"Why do you still insist on fighting me Jago?" Jupiter asked, stifling a yawn. "We both want the same thing"._

_"In what possible way do we want the same thing?! You want to destroy the world in waves of fire and thunder! And while I'm not happy with how the world is, I don't see destroying it as the solution!"_

_"What of Lind?" With that, Jago's blood ran cold._

_"What about her? I love Lind and you want to kill her!" Jupiter chuckled._

_"True, I would kill her. But only to save her. You see, I have seen what is coming; something far more powerful even than our combined strength, Oh Mighty Paladin!" Jago's ID avatar narrowed his eyes._

_"You're talking about Kronos right? I already know about his attempts to return and that-"_

_"But you don't know everything" said Jupiter. "Do you know how he plans to return? Or when exactly he'll be here? Because he IS coming. Do you want to know how you may be able to stop him? And save your lover? And what about Lamb? I know exactly who the traitors are and with my help you could see them brought to justice!" Jago was about to make a retort but paused._

_"How do you know all this Jupiter" he asked cautiously. Jupiter shrugged._

_"Partly because I took the liberty of looking into Lamb's mind as I was bored and an Opal-essence is not subject to the same limitations as an angel and her Master. And partly because I just know it. Heck, so do you but you just haven't realised it yet"._

_"Why should I trust you Jupiter? You're a physical embodiment of evil! So just why the Hell should I-"_

_"Because if you don't, you're likely to lose everyone and everything you have strived so far". Jago glowered at Jupiter and gnashed his teeth._

_"Alright Jupiter, we'll talk. Let's see if you can convince me". Jupiter grinned._

_"Good to hear it Jago. Now let us begin"._

8888

Their progress through Jago's mind appeared to be slowing. It was a simple fact; the close to where Jupiter was, the more vivid and the more the memories were and therefor, they were forced to slow the pace of their travel. They were however learning a lot about Jago. Since he had scragged Thrasher Bentwick, Jago had become a lot more confident and aggressive, earning himself a reputation for violent brutality amongst the other students of the boarding school. He was at least friendly with those he chose to be with and he even had some luck with women. Unfortunately, as he had once told Cool Mint, he was never permanently lucky. Lind could not help but feel jealous at seeing Jago with the first two women he had dated and then smug satisfaction when Jago had unceremoniously left the pair of them. However, when it came to the third one, it was cause to make her pause. Because, from here on out, Jago would go downhill. All the way down and out.

8888

It started with his third girl, Twinkle. The sweet little half-Chinese, half-Nepalese girl he had met on the train. He was on his way back home from boarding school for the summer and had been traveling for nearly twelve hours on the packed train when he saw her. He knew her vaguely from the school; they were both military kids with his dad in the REME and hers in the Royal Ghurkhas Rifles but that's about as far as it went. Until now.

"Excuse me? Is this seat taken?" Jago shook his head as she sat down next to him.

"Twinkle right?" he asked and she nodded shyly. He held out his hand. "Jago". She shook it.

"You're the guy who broke his shoulder in a snowball fight right?" Jago grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, not my brightest moment".

"He broke his shoulder in a snowball fight?" Lind whispered.

"Oh aye" said Pluto. "Army kids are brutal and during one match, he was tackled in the shoulder and broke his collarbone. And then the next day, he was playing basketball with it. Never did get it looked at. In fact, he didn't twig that that was probably what had happened until a couple of years later".

"I don't remember that bit" said Damascus.

"We skipped that bit" said Pluto. "We don't land in every memory along the way, just some of them". He paused as the Twinkle avatar laughed. "If you wanna know what happens, basically they find out they like each other and they agree to meet up when they get back to school".

"You're right" said Lind. "I'm not sure I want to see what's gonna happen next. Can we just get this over with?" Pluto nodded and snapped his fingers, bringing out the next door.

"I must warn you, I'm not sure what's gonna be in the next one but I can guess and it's not gonna be pretty".

"What?"

"I believe his dad gets promoted. Either that or it'll probably be the trip to Africa where Jago where Jago contracted malaria. Whichever it is, it won't be pretty".

8888

Pluto was half right about what had happened next. His dad had been promoted and his mum had emigrated with Jago's brother and sisters to Bulgaria. He and Twinkle had moved in together and were living on money that his dad was sending them. And then the hit came. They were eating dinner in their tinny flat when the phone rang.

"I'll get it" said Jago and picked up the phone. "Aye-up? Oh hi mum. How goes it?" He listened for a few minutes and his face fell. "He's done what? What? WHAT!" He sat down heavily on the bed, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Jago? What's wrong?" said Twinkle, setting down her plate and coming to sit beside her. He didn't answer.

"Are you guys gonna be ok? You and the littlies? Have you got enough money to live on?... What? Us? Twinkle and I'll be alright; it shouldn't be too hard to get a job… We'll survive… Alright, you take care now… Bye". He clicked of the phone and stayed quietly for a second. And then the worst thing that could have happened, happened; he wept. Twinkle placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned towards her.

"What's happened Jago? What's wrong?"

"My dad has buggered off. We're fucked". He pulled the tinny girl into a tight grip and held her to himself.

"He's really taking it hard" said Cool Mint.

"Well what do you expect?" said Pluto. "His dad has buggered off and left him, his mum and the rest of them all in queer street. It's not going well for him".

"Can't we do anything?" asked Cool Mint.

"I think you've done enough" said Pluto. "We'd better keep moving". They stepped through into the next room but what was waiting for them in there was unexpected; Jupiter was there and he was alone.

8888

"I was wondering when you would get here" said Jupiter, leaning on something invisible as they entered the dark space. "You're traveling slower than I thought you would. Been sightseeing?"

"What do you want Jupiter?" said Lamb. "And where is my Master?" Jupiter scoffed.

"He's safe. I'm still working on cracking him".

"Then why are you here?" said Spear Mint.

"He's here to fuck with our heads" said Pluto, stepping forward. "If you want to try anything Jupiter why not at least face us in person, rather than sending a copy of yourself". Jupiter gave a sneer and then faded to opaque.

"Very clever Pluto" he said. "How did you know that I wasn't really here?"

"I'm an Opal-essence too you know. Anything that you can do, so can I". The Jupiter-shadow snorted and stepped forward, until he was face-to-face with Pluto.

"You will not stop me this time Pluto! Even now I am working to lower Jago's mind shields and convert him to my path".

"Jago would never do that!" said Lind, glaring hard at the half visible thing. Jupiter snorted and stepped around Pluto, coming to stand directly in front of the Valkyrie.

"Is that what you really think?" he asked softly. "Do you really believe that Jago is so incorruptible? He was on my path once before, so would it really be so hard for me to convert him once more? Especially with the right kind of leverage".

"What leverage?" said Damascus, floating over to Lind and glaring at Jupiter.

"Why all of you of course" said Jupiter. "I know things that he believes could save you from the coming of the Oldest Storm. And he is willing to give himself over to me if he thinks it would save you". The shadow suddenly placed his hand against Lind's belly and she gasped as she felt his dark powers racing through his finger-tips. She backed off slapping his hand away as her twins came to hover protectively beside her.

"What were you doing?" she hissed, raising her fists. Jupiter simply smiled and raised his hand to look at his fingers.

"It's amazing isn't it?" he said. "To think that something as small as a new life could make even the most powerful of beings risk everything in its protection". He glanced up at them and grinned. "That is why he would be willing to turn to the dark path; to save your child Lind". He then rounded on Jago's Archs. "And you two… especially you Lamb or should I say Miss Striking Twilight? I have information that on its own could convince Jago over to my side. I know why they tried to kill you and Lady Serenity… and more importantly, I know who". Lamb ground her teeth and flexed her hands, preparing for a fight. However, Damascus stopped in front of her and held out one wing, mutely telling Lamb to hold back.

"Bugger off Jupiter" she said. "Stop trying to mess with our heads. You're tricks don't work on me!"

"Yeah what she said!" piped in Cool Mint. Jupiter snapped around and grinned at the one winged angel.

"And you little Cool Mint… how Jago can stand to look at you is beyond me".

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked uneasily, her wing giving a little flutter.

"Well isn't it obvious? Jago blames you all that has happened to him; the boarding school, his father leaving… and everything that you will see soon enough! One moment of impetuous behaviour and-" The Jupiter shadow never finished his sentence as he looked down to see Pluto's khukuri sticking through his chest.

"Enough Jupiter! If you want to fight us then face us in person, don't send your half-truths to spread their lies and treachery!"

"Brother Pluto, for all you being the nice one, you are a real bastard!" Pluto simply grunted, lifted his staff high and brought it down on the Jupiter-shadow, shattering it into thousands of dark pieces that quickly faded into smoke.

"Damn he's annoying" he said and then turned to Cool Mint. "You alright lass?" he asked and the shaken angel nodded. He then turned back to the rest of the group. "Listen to me; Jupiter is trying to fuck with our heads and slow us down. Ignore what he has just said and just keep going. Jago still needs us and even if Jupiter does succeed in corrupting him, there's still a chance that he can be saved. Now, let's keep moving!" He snapped his fingers and another door appeared which he quickly ushered the others through. As Cool Mint Ducked through however, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're alright lass? You look pretty shaken up". Cool Mint nodded.

"I'm fine. Besides, Jago needs our help… even if he may not want it from me".

"Trust me lass, he would be glad for your help, no matter what Papa Jupiter says". Cool Mint smiled and nodded.

"Thank you… Brother Pluto".

*1 A junior priest of the Haitian Voodoo religion

*2 For anyone who's interested, I can give you the best ever recipe for prawn cocktail salad dressing. It's REALLY good!

**Authors Note: Sorry it's taking so long to get chapters out to you. I should probably take a break but I know that if I do, I'll never get this finished. And for once, I would actually like to finish something I start! However, I am considering some ideas for my next story and just want some thoughts:**

**A sequel... possibly crossing over with Doctor Who (or a sequel and a sequel that's a Doctor Who crossover!)**

**Possibly another AMG Story, this time rewrite of the original (what if Holybell had been separated from Belldandy when they came to grant his wish and ended up stuck with Keiichi? Thought it might be interesting)**

**Possibly Blue Submarine No.6, Warhammer 40K or World War Z... with Ghurkhas! Always open to ideas!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Breaking Down**

"Any luck with the job hunt?" Twinkle asked as Jago pulled the door closed behind him and wiped his boots on the mat. He sat down on the bed with a sigh, running his finger through his hair and sighing. "That good huh?" she said and sat down beside him.

"Better" said Jago. "The landlord said we're three months behind on the rent. If I don't find something soon, he's gonna have to evict us". He sighed and looked up, smiling weakly. "Don't worry lass, I'll think of something". Twinkle tried to return the smile but failed.

"Jago, there's something I need to talk to you about".

"What's up lass?" Jago said.

"My dad phoned today Jago. He wants me to go back to Hong-Kong. Now I told him that I want to stay with you but he's insisting that if you can't find work within the next week then he's coming over to get me". Jago paused and sighed once more.

"Great". He stood and pulled on his jacket once more. "I'm going back out. I know it's late but there may be someone who needs some night work doing. I'll be back later".

"Be careful" Twinkle said as Jago headed for the door and he paused as he reached for the knob. He turned and nodded to her before pulling the door open and stepping through and out into the night.

"So what happed?" Lind asked as they watched Jago leave.

"Well this isn't the end of the memory Lind" said Brother Pluto. "Just keep watching".

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Jago walked silently through the streets, not paying much attention to anybody. Occasionally, he would stop to ask whether there was any work going at a place but the answer was always no. It was well after midnight when he stumbled into the old warehouse district on the edge of the city and it was here that he heard the cheering. Curious, he decided to investigate and followed the sound inside a warehouse. The room was surprisingly well lit with gantries lined with men, all cheering bellowing, some waving handfuls of money. And in the middle of the crowd was a simple enclosed space with two men inside. Two men who were currently trying to beat each other to death. Underground fights.

The smaller man swung for the larger with his right but the crowed gave a cry of dismay as the blow simply glanced of the big man's chest. He chuckled and grabbed the smaller man by the arm and then brought his fist down hard on one end, bending it so far the wrong way that the elbow shattered. The smaller man gave a shriek of agony and collapsed screaming as the big man stepped forward and then with a single brutal blow, he stamped down on the other man's head. The crowd roared as the smaller man was dragged away and an announcer was dragged away.

"WE HAVE A WINNER! GIVE IT UP FOR THE UNBEATEN CHAMPION: TITAN!" The crowd roared and the announcer raised Titan's arms in a victory salute. "SO THEN, IS THERE ANY MAN AMOUNGST YOU WHO THINKS THEY CAN CHALLENGE HIM?" There was still shouting but also a lot of shuffling of feet and general downward glances. "WHAT? NOT ONE OF YOU THINKS HE CAN CHALLENGE TITAN? FIVE GRAND TO GO FIVE ROUNDS WITH THE RAINING CHAMP AND SEVEN TO NY MAN WHO CAN BEAT HIM!" Jago's ears pricked up at this. That kind of money would be enough to pay off the landlord and more. But…

"Don't do it Jago" whispered Damascus, not even needing to read his thoughts to know what he was thinking.

"Too late" said Lamb as Jago stepped through the crowd.

"I'll take the offer" he said.

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"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WE HAVE A SURPRISE CONTENDER!" the announcer boomed into the mike, causing a roar of derision. "You really think you can take this guy on kid?" he asked Jago personally and Jago shrugged.

"I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't". The announcer shrugged.

"Your funeral" he said and then picked up the mike once more. "LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A FIGHT AFTER ALL! SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO LET ME INTRODUCE THE FIGHTERS! ON MY LEFT WE HAVE THE UNBEATEN MONSTER! THAT DEMON IN HUMAN FORM! I GIVE YOU… TITAN!" The crowd roared and Titan beat his chest with both fists like a gorilla which cause a roar from the crowd.

"TITAN! TITAN! TITAN!" they chanted as the announcer turned to Jago.

"AND ON MY RIGHT, WE HAVE OUR CHALLENGER, HAILING FROM PARTS UNKNOWN, WE HAVE-" He paused. "What's your name kid?" he asked.

"They call me Jago".

"Not that! I mean your fight name! What do they call you during fights?"

"Dunno" said Jago. "No-one ever asked me that before". The announcer sighed.

"Oh very well" he said. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I GIVE TO YOU…." He thought quickly, "the WOLF!"

"Wolf? Are you bloody serious?" Jago asked. The announcer shrugged.

"Should have picked a name for yourself" he said as the crowd started to chant.

"WOLF! WOLF! WOLF! WOLF!"

"NOW THEN WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ADO, LET ME EXPLAIN THE RULES; WE AINE'T GOT NO RULES! LAST MAN STANDING TAKES ALL! NOW LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!"

8888

The two fighters circled each other wearily, sizing the other up. At this point in time, Jago was much thinner than he was now and not quite as tall but he was still formidable. His opponent however was truly scary; a bald giant of six foot five, covered in the blue spider tattoos of a meth dealer (*1). He grinned as he circled Jago, looking for an opening.

"What's the matter boy? You scared? Cause you should be!" He straight and thumped his bare chest with his fist and grinned. "Come on kid! One free shot! Come on!" Jago grinned.

"Alright then" he said. And he swung. His fist cracked hard against the left side of Titan's dome and sent the big man stumbling back in a daze. "Never offer me a free punch" Jago said as the other man tried to steady himself.

"Not bad kid" he said, wiping away a tiny smear of blood from the corner of his mouth and then thumped Jago in the stomach. "But now it's my turn!"

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Jago was tough and had been in fights before but never anything like this. Titan pounded his stomach and then struck Jago in the face, knocking him backward. Jago tried to get his arms up but they were batted aside and Titan then began pounding away at his face, trying to drive him back. Jago ducked under the next swing and stepped behind Titan, delivering a sharp punch to the kidneys. The big man buckled and Jago kicked up, catching him in the stomach with his booted foot. He then thumped both fists hard down on Titan's back and sent him sprawling. The big man was up in seconds though and he swung for Jago and he doubled over in pain from the fist to the stomach. Titan then reached down and grasped Jago by the hair, hauling his head up and then thumped him in the face. Jago staggered only to be struck again and then again. One the forth strike, Jago went down and lay there helplessly as Titan gave a savage kick to the ribs.

"We have to do something! He's getting his arse handed to him!" Cool Mint shouted, raising herself above the crowd. She stopped however as Pluto gripped her by the waist wrap and pulled her back down.

"You've done enough today" he said. "Let's try not to fuck up again shall we?"

"But we can't just leave him to be beaten to death!" squeaked the angel, trying to pull herself free of the Opal-essence's vice like grip.

"I'm with her!" said Lind. "We may change Jago's memory and therefore change the past but we can't just sit back and let him be –"

"Shut up and look!" Pluto snapped and pointed towards where Jago was lying. Titan had backed off and turned away, thinking he had won and was currently striking a victory pose. However, Jago had his head up. And there blood ran cold; he was staring straight at Cool Mint. And then he winked. With a roar, Jago shot to his feet and charged Titan from behind bearing him to the ground. The giant rolled and tried to stand but Jago was on top of him in seconds, straddling his chest and raining down blows on his face. The giant tried desperately to heave himself up and avoid the beating but Jago clung on grimly and then grasped Titan by his ears, yanked his head up and…

8888

Titan's skull cracked down hard on the concrete of the floor, knocking him instantly unconscious. Jago stood, panting and looked towards the audience who stood in stunned silence. And then they cheered. Quietly, Jago reached inside his mouth and pulled at something that felt loose. His fingers emerged holding a blood stained molar. He chuckled, drunk on adrenaline and endorphins as he slipped the tooth into his pocket and the announcer approached. He raised Jago's hand high above his head and shouted into the mike

"WE HAVE A WINNER! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GIVE IT UP FOR THHHHEEEE WOLF!"

"WOLF! WOLF! WOLF! WOLF!" Jago grinned as the crowd chanted and the announcer turned, smiling to him.

"Nice work kid" he said and slipped Jago an envelope. "Seven grand as promised". Jago flipped up the top of the envelope and did a quick flick-count of the money. Seven-thousand pounds in fifty pound notes. "Hey listen kid, we have another fight next week. You're welcome to take any undercard you wish or… if you have the cash then I can let you have a crack at the regional champ".

"How much would I need?" Jago asked.

"Four grand" said the announcer. "Think on it and I'll see you next week". Jago nodded and slowly left, cradling his envelope. He had done it; he and Twinkle would be alright.

8888

"JAGO! WHHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Twinkle rushed over to him as he entered their flat but stopped just short. "MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!" Jago's face was a real state; one eye was swollen closed and his lip split and oozing. In fact his whole face was caked in blood but he managed a smile although he winced as his aching muscles protested.

"I'm alright lass" he said and then he reached inside his jacket and tugged the thick envelope from the inside pocket. "And more importantly, I've made us some money!" He passed it to her and she opened it cautiously, her face turning to astonishment as she checked the contents.

"But Jago! This is-"

"Just shy of seven grand… I spent a little on the way home but-"

"But where did you get this kind of money? And what happened to your face?" Jago shrugged.

"I could tell you but you won't like it. Let's just say that I've found a way to keep us solvent, at least for the time being, ok?" Twinkle nodded cautiously and set the envelope down on the desk, holding out her hand.

"Well at least your safe now… and we'll be alright. Come on, let's get to bed. It's so late, it's getting early!" Jago nodded and took her hand as she led him to their bed.

"I'm not sure I want to see this" said Lind with distaste. "I don't want to see MY Jago with another woman, even one from his past".

"I don't know" said Damascus absently. "I may be a prude but I've always been interested as to where Jago learnt that position with the-"

"MOVEING SWIFTLY ONWARDS!" said Pluto, hastily opening up the door to the next memory. They stepped through and the door snapped shut. Then it reopened and Lamb reached back through to grab Damascus by the wing and drag her through.

"Come on you!" she said as Damascus moaned.

"Awww! But they were just getting to the good part!" she said as she was dragged through the door. "I thought you were the kinky one anyway Lamb!"

"Shut up you!"

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The next few memories were mostly Jago getting stuck into his new job as an underground fighter and one thing was clear; he was getting better. He was beginning to develop that talent that Lind had first noticed during his match at Crash Palace, the ability to read his opponent from his attacks and then adjust his own fighting strategy to fit the situation. One particularly vicious fight stuck out though; the fight against the Filipino. It had been a fairly straight forward fight; the Filipino had been fast than Jago but Jago was stronger and had greater endurance and so he had been able to beat his opponent to the ground. He turned away and was ready to declare a victory when the Filipino stood once more and he flicked his wrist… revealing a butterfly knife.

"Is that the…?" Lamb asked.

"Yes, it's the same knife Jago gave to Eir. Just watch what happens". Jago was lucky this time; the smaller man charged him silently and Jago had turned just in time to avoid the first stab. He backed away trying to dodge the weapon but then gasped as the blade sliced along the inside of his left arm.

"This is not looking good" muttered Damascus. "How did he-" Then her question was answered as Jago's right hand shot forward and grasped his opponent by the wrist. His other hand came around and grasped his opponent's hand, squeezing hard. The smaller man yelped in pain and tried to pull away but Jago clung on grimly and kept applying pressure until he heard the bones crack and his enemy dropped to his knees, flopping feebly. Jago tugged the knife from the Filipino's hand as the announcer came over to declare him the winner.

"How do they use these things?" Jago asked himself as he tried spinning the weapon around his hand. He shrugged and pocketed the knife before accepting the envelope that contained tonight's winnings.

"So his oldest weapon was that butterfly knife?" Spear Mint asked. "Doesn't seem quite like his style of tool. I thought he was more a khukuri man". Pluto shrugged.

"He is but khukuris are bloody hard to get hold of in Britain. Then again, so are balisongs".

"Balisongs?"

"Butterfly knives. I should warn you though; this memory isn't over just yet". It was at that moment that Jago looked up and out into the crowd. And his blood ran cold.

"Is that…?" asked Lind.

"Yes". It was Twinkle.

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"HOW COULD YOU JAGO!" she shouted when he finally made it home. "STREET FIGHTING OFF ALL THINGS!"

"But Twinkle-"

"DON'T YOU BUT TWINKLE ME!" she shouted, hurling a pot at him. "THAT GUY HAD A _KNIFE!_ HE TRIED TO _KILL_ YOU! WHAT WOULD I DO IF SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO YOU? WHO WOULD TELL-"

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" Jago shouted, startling the tiny woman into silence. "If I thought I had any chance of finding something, I would have! But I couldn't, I got desperate!" He tried to smile. "Look I'm sorry lass, I didn't mean to worry you".

"It's not just that; there was something else Jago. You had that look in your eyes. I know the look a man gets when a man likes fighting and you had that Jago… and that scared me. I'm sorry Jago, but I don't think I can stay here".

"You can see where this is going can't you?" Pluto said and the others nodded. "Then let's get out of here".

"Is this as bad as it gets?" Lind asked.

"Not quite".

8888

"Hey Jago man? Is that you?"

"Yeah it's me. Who's asking?" It was late and Jago was alone in his tiny flat, Twinkle having long since moved back to her parent's house in Hong-Kong and Jago had sunk into depression. He had started drinking _a lot_ and had let his beard grow until he looked like a large mountain goat. He rarely left the house except for food, booze or for just enough fights to keep himself alive. It was a sorry state of affairs. And now, out of the blue, a phone call had come that would change him forever. For the worse.

"Hey Jago, my name is Corman Covac and I am looking I was looking to make your acquaintance".

"What for?" Jago asked, taking a long pull of straight vodka from the bottle.

"Well I've seen you fight and-"

"If you want me to fight then just give me a time and a date. I'll want decent money though, not some shitty deal".

"Please, let me finish. I am looking to give you some formal employment. I've heard that you have been going through a rough patch recently and I thought that maybe a steady job with a decent wage might help you out a little".

"What kind of work?" Jago asked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Well that I can't tell you over the phone. But you be willing to meet up at some point tomorrow to discuss things in person?" Jago sighed.

"Alright. I'll meet you. But not funny business".

"What's happening?" Lamb asked.

"You should be able to guess" said Pluto with a note of distaste. "This is how Jago became a dealer".

"WHAT!?" Lamb said, looking shocked.

"It does actually seem pretty obvious now that you mention it" said Lind. "But I don't know if I want to see this either… I can remember what Jago said happens next and I'm pretty sure I don't want to see my lover commit murder".

"Well if that's where we end up, that's where we end up. I can't control which memories we land in. All you can do is pray that we don't land in that particular memory". Pluto shrugged his shoulders and snapped his fingers once more.

"Moving on again?" asked Cool Mint.

8888

"You Covac?" Jago asked as he arrived meeting point.

"That's me" Covac said, shaking Jago's hand. "You're Jago right?"

"Got it in one" Jago said. "So I hear you have work for me". Covac nodded. His was definitely shifty; dark skinned, a thick coat even in summer and a baseball cap. His hair and goatee beard were greying, making him older than him look older than he really was. His eyes were worrying, almost black in colour and always shifting, never focusing on anything for long.

"Yeah that's right" he said. "Like I said, I-"

"You're a dealer right?"

"What?"

"I saw the tat mate" said Jago, indicating Covac's wrist. "White means ecstasy, one spider means low-level dealer. I'm guessing… you distribute to a few blocks maybe?"

"Real smart kid" Covac said sourly. "I wasn't told that you were a smartass".

"Well get used to it" said Jago. "And I'm guessing that you want me to deal for you".

"Not quite" Covac said. "What I need is an enforcer".

"An enforcer?"

"Street muscle. Basically, I need someone who can take care of me 'cause we've been having trouble with some of the… clients recently. And I heard you can fight and you're looking for work so…" He paused and tapped his chin. "You still have that knife you took of the Filipino?" Jago nodded and reached inside his jacket, removing the short length of metal. "Can you use it?" At this, Jago shrugged. He passed it into his left hand and unfolded it; passing the weapon around the back of his thumb, catching it again and then spinning and flicking the handles to lock the blades in place.

"I've been practicing" he said. He then released one handle, reversed it and folded the blade back inside in one movement.

"You got skills boy" said Covac. "I could use someone like you with me".

"How much?" Jago asked.

"Better than average".

"Deal". They spat on their hands and shook on it.

"So he wasn't a dealer" said Spear Mint. "He was an enforcer".

"You mean he's not a dealer _yet_" said Pluto.

8888

Rain was trickling down the gutters as Covac and Jago stood in the shelter of the building, passing a cigarette between them. Jago had now added a Stetson to his repertoire, the same one he still wore now and he was using it to keep the rain out of his hair.

"You sure about this? I've never done anything like this before".

"Course I'm sure" said Covac, taking a drag on the fag and then passed it back. "All you have to do is to keep my arse out of danger; simple".

"Sure" said Jago, taking a deep drag. "So what exactly do you deal?"

"E-bombs".

"Ecstasy? Nice". Covac grinned and then he twitched his head slightly and nodded to the entrance of the alley. "Here's trouble. Stay here… if I need your help, you just come running". Jago nodded and ducked back out of sight as Covac headed out into the rain. He grinned as he approached the man who had just entered the alley and they quickly fell to discussing price. Five minutes later, the man was gone and Covac returned, handing Jago a fistful of notes.

"Your cut" he said. Jago nodded silently and pocketed the notes. They had a few more deals, all uneventful. It wasn't until later that they ran into trouble.

"This is going to be good" said Damascus as the three guys approached Covac. "So what happens?"

"Spoilers" said Pluto. "Now either shut up and watch or close your eyes and put your fingers in your ears". To be honest, it started off as a fairly standard deal, right up until they got to discussing price; at that point Jago decided to step in as one of the guys brought out a knife.

"Excuse me?" he said, stepping out of the shadows. "Is there a problem here gentlemen?"

"Piss off kid" one the men said. "This doesn't concern-"He stopped. Jago had reached inside his jacket and pulled out the balisong, unlocking it by spinning it around his thumb.

"I'm sorry, what that?" Jago asked, all smiles as two of the guys backed away from Covac. The third guy though, the one with a knife of his own, stepped forward, towards Jago.

"You think you can take me kid?" he growled threateningly.

"Almost certainly not" said Jago. "But I guess that there's just one way to find out". He then feigned left, drawing his enemy towards him but then stepped behind him and struck him on the back of the neck with the handle of his knife. The man went cross eyed and then collapsed. Jago kicked away his knife and then turned to face the other two. "Who's next then?" The two remaining guys took one look at their fallen comrade and then at each other. And then they legged it one. Covac snorted at the two disappearing figures and then nodded at the unconscious man.

"Nice one mate. Looks like I picked right". Jago nodded grimly and checked the man's pulse.

"He's alive. What do we do with him?"

"Well first we take his wallet and then we dump him in some god forsaken alley".

"Can I leave him a not?"

"Like what?"

"Something along the lines of; if I see your slimy face around here again, I'll slice it off and use it to wipe my unmentionables? Signed the Wolf?" Covac nodded.

"Aye, that sounds alright. Let's get it done".

8888

Jago continued to work with Covac for nearly six months, acting as protection for the ageing dealer or at least, so Pluto said. However, the next memory that they had dropped into was different; now Jago was the dealer.

"So what happened to Covac?" Lind asked.

"The local distributor was jailed and Covac got promoted. They became friends though 'cause Jago helped him out of some tight spots and as Jago was smarter than the average enforcer but with some decent fighting skills, he was promoted to dealer. Check out his wrist". Lind glanced at Jago's wrist through the rain as brought his hand up to take a drag at his cigarette and saw the white spider.

"So he was a dealer" said Lamb, spotting the spider too but then frowned. "He wasn't lying then".

"No Lamb, he wasn't lying. And he wasn't lying about the next bit either".

"Next bit?" She didn't get an answer because at that moment, the Jago-avatar stepped out from his little alcove as he was approached by a customer.

"Hey mate? Got anything for me?" This man was a regular for Jago and so Jago suspected nothing as they started discussing amounts. But it was the rain that would catch Jago. It muffled the footsteps of the second man as he slunk up behind him and it was only when he felt the faintest of pinpricks against the back of his neck that he knew he was in trouble.

"You bastards" he swore.

"Sorry man" said the first man. "All we want is five-hundred bucks of your shit and then we'll go all peaceful like". Jago was about to speak to resist but the knife was pushed hard against the back of his neck.

"Think very carefully about what you say next mate" breathed the second man. Jago thought for a second.

"I haven't got that much on me. You want that much, you'll have to wait a couple of minutes till my distributer gets here". The two men paused and looked at each other.

"Alright. But if you try any funny business…"

8888

Covac arrived a few minutes, appearing like a spectre through the driving rain.

"Right Wolf?" he asked, using Jago's fight name as he could see that Jago was with a client. Jago nodded, trying to ignore the man behind him who was holding the blade; he just nodded and forced a smile.

"Yeah man. Got my stuff for me?"

"Right here" said Covac, patting his pocket and then looked upward in disgust at the sky. "I just wish this weather would cheer up a little". Jago shrugged.

"It could be worse. It could be _raining sideways_". Covac's head snapped down at this. Back when Jago had been his enforcer, raining sideways was their warning word; in the event of something going wrong, all that would need to happen would be for one of them to say the phrase and they would both be ready to either scarper or fight. Covac cocked an eyebrow and Jago glanced to one side, indicating where the other man was hidden. Covac gave a barely perceptible nod and reached inside his jacket as Jago removed his hat. They both attacked at the same time; Jago spun and sliced at the man behind him. He had recently sewn sharpened pennies into the brim of his hat so that he would always have at least one weapon on him at all times and now he was thankful for it as they split open the man's cheek. He then kicked the man in the crotch and then turned to see that Covac drawn his own weapon; a homemade blackjack made of a sack of lead shot sewn into the end of a sock and he was using it to beat the other man to the ground.

"Just like old times?" Jago asked and Covac grinned.

"Never gets old does it". Then his face suddenly fell. "Look out!" he shouted and he raced forwards but he was too late; Jago felt the knife bite deeply into his side and gasped as his shirt started to soak with blood.. Covac charged the man, shouting and swinging his cudgel as the man ripped the knife free and turned to face him. In the meantime, Jago sank down, gasping and clutching his side. He could feel his hot blood mixing with the cool rain, an interesting sensation akin to being simultaneously burned and frozen at the same time.

"He never said anything about being stabbed!" Lind said, sounding alarmed.

"Can't we help him?" Cool Mint asked.

"Only if you want to risk tearing a hole in the space-time continuum" said Pluto.

"Worth it" the angel said and before they could stop her, Cool Mint stepped over to Jago and stooped preparing to use her magic to help him. And he looked right at her.

"I was wondering when you'd step in" he said. There was stunned silence at what the Jago-avatar had just said.

"That shouldn't be possible" said Pluto. "How can he see her before she's actually done anything?" But then they heard the scream. Jago turned away from the stunned Cool Mint and saw Covac go down, the knife between his ribs. There was a near audible snap and suddenly Jago was on his feet. Only this didn't feel like Jago…

"Jupiter" Pluto whispered. "His first appearance". Cool Mint scrambled away and Lamb helped her to her feet as Jupiter casually turned to face the attacker. His eyes glowed red and he grinned; the shark grin of a murder. He man held his knife before him, looking terrified. And then Jupiter spoke. The first words of Jago's ultimate evil. Words that made those present shudder. Even Damascus, the most evil of them, could not help but feel repulsed by the foul voice of this man as the words seemed to fill the air with poison and pollution. And what were these first words you ask?

"Hey bud, any idea how quick you have to be to catch a tiger-snake?" And then Jupiter shot forward, grasped the man by the wrist, forcing his hand up, still clutching the knife. And then the blade bit home, stabbing its owner in the heart. The man looked down at the spreading red patch as Jupiter grinned. "That's how quick you have to be mother-fucker!" And then Jupiter faded, leaving Jago standing, staring the man in the face.

"Wah?" he said and then looked down at the knife in his hand. "WAH!" he backed away as the man dropped to the ground, his chest pumping with blood. Jago knew there was nothing he could do for him; the wound was too deep and too close to the heart. But Covac… He turned suddenly, remembering his fallen friend and raced over to him.

"SHIT! COVAC MAN! COVAC, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" The man didn't answer so Jago snapped open his phone and dialled an ambulance. "Hello? Hello yes, I need an ambulance! A man's been stabbed!"

"Shit" swore Lamb. "This is…"

"We'd better get going" said Pluto. But then Jago look up. "HELP ME!" he shouted. And he was staring straight at Cool Mint and the angel whitened at the rabid look in his eye. "PLEASE! HELP ME! HELP ME ANGEL! OR IF NOT YOU THEN ONE OF YOUR INVISIBLE FRIENDS, THOSE ONES YOU TALK TO! JUST HELP ME!" Cool Mint started to drift forwards but Pluto placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You've done enough" he said. "Twice you've fucked with Jago's past. As his Opal-essence, I cannot let you do anything more. By all right I should forcefully eject straight from this brain, if not for the fact that we're probably still going to need you". Cool Mint turned to face him but Brother Pluto's face was set firm. She turned to Lind and her sister but so were theirs. As were Lamb and Damascus.

"What'll happen to his friend?" she asked.

"He dies of course" said Pluto. "Severed artery. The other man is already dead".

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME!" But Pluto continued to grip her shoulder.

"No lass. We have to keep going. If you try to help him then you'll drastically alter the past. Now either we leave now or I'll have to drag you". Cool Mint looked tearful but nodded and then turned back to Jago.

"I'm sorry Master Jago. But I can't help you" she said. And with that, she stepped through the door, followed by the rest of the group.

"NO DON'T GO! PLEASE ANGEL! DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE!"

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"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Jago's fist shot forward and grabbed Cool Mint by the shoulder as soon as she stepped through Pluto's door and into the next memory and he hurled her against the wall of his tiny flat. The others moved to help her but Pluto himself blocked them.

"She's interfered twice. I believe this is her comeuppance. If you interfere though, you'll change things more than they already have. All we can do is watch". And so watch they did.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP HIM?" Jago shouted and he slapped the angel across her face. Cool Mint squealed and covered her face but Jago suddenly backed away. She glared tearfully at him but could smell the liquor on his breath and knew that he was drunk. All she could do was listen as he chewed her out. "Thirteen years I waited for you! I believed in you. Ever since that day at my mother's wedding; my little one winged, cake-eater. Thirteen years of ridicule and mockery! And all that time I believed in you! You would show up, every now and then... just often enough for me to believe that you were still there… that you hadn't abandoned me. I hoped that one day I would be able to meet you in person, just so that we could speak. Hell, I don't even know your name. I just wanted to meet you properly".

"You were able to see me?" she asked cautiously.

"Fuck lass, I've always been able to see you. And hear you". He sat down heavily on the narrow bed and pulled bottle of vodka towards him, twisted off the cap with his teeth and then chugged half the bottle without taking a breath. "I don't know who it is you talk to but I can hear you. I've always known you were there. And I blame you for what I've become! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" He swayed back onto his feet and pointed a finger drunkenly at her, still holding the bottle in his other hand. "IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I WaS SENT TO THAT HELL OF A SCHOOL! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT MY FATHER LEFT! WITH MY MUM GONE AND ME AWAY, HE LOST HIS mIND IN THAT JOB AND HE BUGGERED OFF! IF I HADN'T TRIED TO CONVINCE OTHERS that YOU WERE REALLY THERE THEN MAYBE I-I…" He swayed backward and sat down heavily on the bed, hag sagging low. He dropped the bottle and it shattered on the floor, coating his boots and trousers in the acrid liquid but he didn't care. "I can forgive you for all that… for all you've done to me, you never betrayed me. My dad has gone and I've lost Twinkle but I knew that you would never betray me. Until today".

"What do you mean?" she whispered softly, kneeling before him and placing her hands on either side of his head. "Jago… I never-"

"DON'T YOU DARE GIVE ME THAT CRAP!" he shouted and pushed her back. She fell and sliced her hand on a shard of glass, giving a yelp of pain. Lind moved to help her but again Pluto blocked her and shook his head.

"Not yet" he whispered as Jago stood over the Cool Mint and glared down.

"YOU! YOU WHORE! YOU COULD HAVE HELPED ME! YOU COULD HAVE HELPED COVAC! BUT NO, ALL YOU DID AS USUAL IS FLUTTER YOUR LITTLE WING AND SHAKE YOUR BREASTS AT ME! WHILE I LAY THERE BLEEDING IN THE STREET! I'M A MURDERER BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU COULD HAVE DONE… SOMETHING! ANYTHING! BUT NO, ALL YOU DID WAS NOTHING! JUST LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO!" He sat down once more as she looked up fearfully at him. And he started to sing softly.

_"But it was not your fault but mine,"_

_"And it was your heart on the line,"_

_"I really fucked it up this time,"_

_"Didn't I my dear?"_

He raised his head a little and he managed a smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you". He then nodded at her bleeding palm as her white blood slowly stained the carpet. "Let's get that fixed up lass". He held out a hand but she pulled away, unsure. He sighed. "Relax. I may be apocalyptically angry but you are still my treasured angel. I would never harm you". He led her over to the sink and started to work, cleaning and dressing her wound.

"So… Jupiter was right… Jago really did blame Cool Mint for what happened to him" whispered Lind. "And through her… he blames me". Pluto shook his head.

"Weren't you listening? He blames himself for what happened. He always trusted Cool Mint and in his heart of hearts, he knew that she could do nothing to help". He sighed. "Don't worry, it should get a little better from here".

"Don't bleed in the sink! I just cleaned it!" Jago laughed drunkenly and then led Cool Mint back over to the bed, checking the bandage on her hand. His face suddenly became serious and he frowned at her. "Now you listen angel; I may despise you now but I love you. And I need you to do something for me".

"Yes Jago?" she whispered hopefully.

"Leave" he said. "I have some thinking to do. So leave. Take your invisible friends with you and get the fuck out". He then lay down and refused to say any more. Cool Mint tried to talk to him but he simply ignored her until finally she gave up. She turned away sadly and re-joined the others.

"Did I really do all this to him? Did I really cause him all this sadness?"

"We can talk about this later" said Lind, clearing her throat and putting on a stern face. "We still have to recover Jago. I understand you're upset Cool Mint but right now, we need to keep moving". Cool Mint nodded solemnly and they prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Jago said. "Angel, what do you call yourself?" he asked.

"I'm Cool Mint" she said sadly and then stepped through the portal. Jago lay quietly on the bed for a while and then stood and stumbled over the bookcase that hung from his wall. He pulled aside a book and reached up, bringing out a bottle of MacPhail's 1938 whisky.

"Eleven-hundred bucks for fire water" he said. "Could be worse". He turned drunkenly and knocked a couple of books off of the desk. He turned back swearing and set down the bottle to pick up the books. And then he found something. One of the books had fallen open and revealed something that he had forgotten about; a picture he had torn up years before and stuffed in a book for safe keeping. He gingerly picked up the yellowed paper and looked blearily at the image. And inside his head, the little cogs and springs suddenly clicked into place. "Cool Mint huh?… Time for a change I think". He reached into his desk and taped up the picture before folding it and storing it in his wallet. "Need time to think… Need to go… Go far away… Go walkabout…" He started packing his bag full of cloths and stored food. "Leave here… Go where though?" And then he glanced at his wrist. And the white spider. "Need a change. Need to atone. Need to forget". He pulled out his knife and flicked it around his thumb. He sterilised the blade in the whisky. He tourniquet his arm with a belt. "Need a bigger blade though. A blade of atonement. One for each life I fucked up" he said. "But first mine". And he screamed as he used the knife to slice the spider tattoo off of the back of his arm.

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_"Oh I can't get off of my horse!"_

_"I'm up shit creek without a paddle!"_

_"Oh I can't get off of my horse!"_

_"Cause some dirty dog put glue in the saddle!"_

Jago sang to himself as he walked, following the road up and into the mountains. He carried his worldly possessions with him; a bag with a few sets of cloths, a mora knife, a pocket knife, the butterfly knife and his hat and jacket. And tucked up in the armpit of his jacket where no-one could see it, a khukuri in a brass and leather sheath.

"What's he doing? And where's he going?" Lind asked as they watched him from a ledge above.

"He's going walkabout… hiking from his flat in Manchester to his mum's place in Bulgaria".

"Hiking?"

"Well, hiking and hitch-hiking. It's a long way to travel just by foot".

"But why? And what happened to his wrist?"

"I think I know" said Damascus. "Master was going to the one person he trusts to ask her advice, but he needed time to get his thoughts in order before he could face her so he decided to walk".

"That… actually makes sense" said Spear Mint. "But what about that thing on his wrist?" She pointed at Jago's hand which was all done up with bandages.

"Now that I KNOW" said Lamb. "He sliced off that tattoo and then used his khukuri to put a cut in his arm for every pill he sold".

"How many did he sell?"

"Two-thousand, five-hundred and thirty-seven" said Pluto. "That's why his left forearm isn't so much scared but more a single big scar". Lind whistled.

"He was really taking this seriously" she said.

"Yep" said Pluto. "But now it's time move on once more".

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The rest was fairly simple. Jago hiked to Bulgaria from Britain and he took his mother's advice; he spent the summer there and then hiked back in the autumn. Tam's advice had been simple; remake himself in the image he wanted. He had enrolled at Manchester Metropolitan University, not the highest ranked university in Britain but fair for an ex-street fighter and dealer. He hated most of his fellow students but he put up with them as best he could. All he need was to finish his course and then make enough money to simply drop off of the map. Mongolia was the plan… or Tanzania. Make a new life for himself as a wildlife biologist. It was one of the few things he was still good at. And then came the day that it happened; the day he saved Lamb.

"I remember this" said Lamb as she watched a version of herself appear from the Jago-avatar's back. "Our first meeting". She chuckled. "He was scared to death!" Lind nodded but then spotted something on Jago's bookshelf.

"Is this me?" she asked, looking down at the cover of the book.

"Is the title "Ah! My Goddess!"?" Pluto asked.

"Yes" said Lind.

"Then yes, it is likely. It's hard to explain. Just… try not to think about it". Lind nodded and then turned back to Jago and Lamb's conversation. She sighed.

"We'd better get going. It won't be long until Belldandy, Urd and I arrive. It's gonna get crowded in here".

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"And of course the next memory we step into would be _this_ one, wouldn't it" Lind said with a sigh, face-palming for all she was worth as she watched her past self… with Jago.

"I'm enjoying this" said Damascus. "You never said your first time together was so damn saucy! And I didn't realise an angel threesome could be so kinky!" The three angels all blushed furiously at the devil as Pluto sat down in mid-air and plucked a box of popcorn out of nowhere.

"Well we're gonna be here a while. It's not the longest memory but it's LOADED with emotions. So I suggest you get comfortable". He offered the pop-corn to Damascus who gladly accepted a handful.

"I should be taking notes… and pictures!" she said, stuffing her mouth full of the sweet tasting snacks. Lind and the others could only blush and look watch the spectacle uncomfortably.

"Well Jago's gotten thinner since then" said Spear Mint.

"And you've put on weight Lind" muttered Lamb. Lind turned to glare at Lamb.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked a little angrily. Lamb shrugged.

"Well you have changed a lot since you met Master. You're a little bigger but not noticeably. You're breasts have also grown a little larger due to the baby. And your hair is a little longer all around". Lind blushed a little but turned away as her avatar gave an unusually loud gasp of pleasure. "There's also something else; you've become more open now than you were then. And more tearful. But that's a good thing I feel. And you make Master happy in more ways than one". She paused and looked at the memory avatars. "Although at the moment, the pair of you only appear to have one thing on your minds". Lind's avatar began to groan with ecstasy, making even the most ecchi of the room's occupants turn red and Lind turned to Brother Pluto.

"Can't we go yet?" she begged. "This is getting embarrassing!" Pluto rolled back his eyes as if he were trying to work out a complex math problem and counted off something on his fingers.

"Not just yet" he said. It was then that the mirror flashed and Belldandy's head and shoulders entered the room.

"Good evening!" she said brightly and she smiled but then raised a hand to her mouth and turned bright red. "Oh my! I didn't know Lind made _that _kind of noise!" She then chuckled and backed into the mirror once more, blushing furiously. Lind sighed.

"Well Belldandy did say that she saw us together. I suppose that it was-" She stopped as the mirror flashed once more and Belldandy appeared again, still blushing furiously. She was carrying Keiichi's camera. "That little snake!" Lind gasped as Belldandy snapped a couple of pictures of the pair of them and giggled like a naughty school girl before disappearing once more. "Remind me to SMACK Belldandy when we get back!" she hissed to Pluto. "She must have seen _everything _of mine!" Pluto laughed so hard he nearly choked on his popcorn and Lamb had to pat him roughly on the back.

"You really are a prude aren't you Lind!" he coughed after a few seconds. "Look, it's not like Belldandy showed anyone, else they would have already have known about your relationship with Jago when you both arrived. Which from what I gather, they didn't by the way". Lind blushed and looked down.

"Then why would she take the pictures in the first place?"

"Who knows?" said Pluto. "But as it is, we need to get moving once more". He snapped his fingers and the next door appeared. Just as they stepped through though, the Jago-avatar glanced across at them. Or rather at Cool Mint. He looked her straight in the eye, glanced across at her own avatar and then back at her. And then he WINKED. She blushed furiously. What else could she do? The next few memories they could well remember; Damascus's naming, Jago building Buggerup, the fight at Crash Palace, working in the forge, remaking Lind's halberd and chasing down the Angel-Eater. The next one after that was a new one for most of them though; Damascus's acceptance of Jago.

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It was the night after Lamb had been saved from the Angel-Eater. Lind and Jago slept peacefully beside one-another, soft moonlight filtering into the room through the window. Between them lay Lamb, cradled in Jago's arms like a child. Lind was on her far side and had one arm over the top of the sleeping angel, gripping her protectively, her own angels tucked contentedly inside herself. And watching them from beside the window, Damascus fumed.

"Lamb. Astrakhan Lamb. Bah!" She hissed in jealousy and quietly slipped form the room, not bothering to close the door behind her, heading for Jago's kitchen. She flicked the switch on the kettle and started to make tea, muttering to herself. "Why did I bother to save that harlot? All she does it get Mas- Jago into trouble!" She paused and set down her spoon, picking up the mug. "And why do I even care about him? He's a fat, disgusting, smelly human! So why..." She held a hand to her chest, just over her heart. "Then why do I feel like this towards him? And why does the sight of him with _her_ make me feel so mad!?"

"Perhaps I can explain it?" Damascus turned so suddenly that she dropped her mug. Cool Mint's avatar was fast however and caught it before it hit the ground, along with most of the tea. She sighed and handed the mug back to the devil. "You're in love with your Master" she said simply. "That's normal. You're starting to get over your previous Mistress and you are starting to accept-" Damascus slapped her before she could finish the sentence.

"I do not love him! I would never love a human! How could I! I am Nightmare Prime! I am-"

"Then what would you call it?" Cool Mint asked, holding a hand to her face and glaring. "Damascus, you hate my guts as a devil and I yours as an angel but you and I aren't that different. We're both the second child, the unwanted one. We were both forced into existence and we're both jealous of the our sister because we couldn't have our Master or Mistress to ourselves".

"He is NOT my Master!" Damascus snapped. "I would never… never…" Her voice slowly faded away.

"You are imprinted on him so you have no choice. He is your Master and for better or for worse, Jago will look after you. Believe me; you could do far worse than him". Damascus snorted.

"What would you about it _flutterbird_? He abandoned me! He forced me on that other human! He-"

"Protected your sorry arse from being eaten by the Angel-Eater while using himself and Lamb to draw it out of hiding?" Cool Mint said casually, checking her nails. Damascus pulled up short.

"He did what?"

"Well why else would he give you to Keiichi? He need to be sure that you would be safe. His fusion with both you and Lamb is not quite finished yet so he knew that there was a good chance that he would be beaten. He need to know that you would be safe so that if need be he could conduct a rescue mission". Damascus paused and cocked her head.

"Is what you say true?" she asked. Cool Mint sighed.

"Why would I lie?" she asked. "Jago is a better man than you give him credit for. And while I may hate your guts, I do respect you and I love Jago just as much as I do my own Mistress. I want us to get allowing as best we can alright?" Damascus paused and nodded VERY slowly.

"Alright. But fist, what do you suggest I do?" Cool Mint paused for a second, tapping her chin and smiled.

"How about calling Jago Master? That might go some way towards helping you get along". Damascus thought about this for a second and then nodded.

"Alright. From now on, Jago is my Master". Cool Mint smile and then, on an impulse, she hugged Damascus and kissed her on the cheek. The devil was too shocked to resist until the shorter angel backed away.

"That's good to hear" Cool Mint beamed and then she headed over to the freezer. "Now then, how about we help ourselves to some the ice-cream that Jago won from Skuld a while back?" Damascus grinned, flashing her fangs; the first proper smile she had had since she had been attached to Jago.

"Now that sounds like a plan!" Cool Mint smiled.

"Did anyone ever tell you that those fangs make you look unbelievably cute?" she said, making Damascus blush.

"That's nice Cool Mint… but you're not my type" she said uneasily. Cool Mint shrugged and sucked on the end of her spoon in a rather coquettish manner.

"That's a shame… you're certainly my type Damascus!"

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"SO I'M A HARLOT AM I?" Lamb shouted, holding Damascus in a neck lock and giving her a vicious nuggy and making the devil's wings beat furiously as she tried to wriggle out of the more powerful angel's grip.

"OW! OW! OW! OK! OK! YOU'RE NOT A HARLOT! NOW LET ME GO!" Lamb paused and gave a wicked grin.

"Who's Master's top angel? Well who is it?" Damascus gave a sigh of resignation.

"You are!" she said. Lamb grinned and released her head.

"And don't you forget it! Next time, I'll take you to the beach and drop a jellyfish down the front of your wrap!" Damascus paled.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh yeah?"

"The pair of you! Stop it! Act your age, not your shoe size!" Pluto strode forward, glaring at the pair who both turned their eyes downwards. "Honestly! You'd think we weren't even on a rescue mission! Now do that again and you'll both be heading the right way for a smacked bottom!"

"She started it" mutter Damascus.

"What was that?" Pluto asked.

"Nothing!"

"Is Damascus really your type?" Spear Mint asked her sister quietly. Cool Mint nodded and blushed.

"Yep. Turns out I have a thing for devils with spiky purple hair and full body tattoos that look like she is literally made of Damascus steel".

"Well that's cool" said Spear Mint, both grinning as Pluto continued to chew out the Archs. "Personally, I've always had a thing for angels with REALLY big wings and dark, curly hair". The two angels chuckled and then straightened as Pluto turned to face them all once more.

"Right then. Now that we have that sorted, let's keep moving". He raised his hand and prepared to snap his fingers. And then he paused. "Hmm" he said and then reached inside his robes and pulled something out of some unknown pocket. It looked like a compass but instead of directions, there were various different facial expressions, ranging from insanely happy to manically depressed. "Hmm" he said once more and then turned through ninety degrees. He tapped the device a couple of times and snorted before pocketing it once more. "Ok ladies, listen up; I've possibly found a short cut to Jago. It's risky but if we take it, we may be able to reach him in three or maybe four more jumps". There was some excited whispering but he raised a hand. "However, there is a problem".

"What kind of problem?" Lind asked.

"We'd be traveling through one of the most disturbing bits of the brain. I mean stuff that could leave you scarred for life even in a normal person but in Jago… it could drive you insane just being there". He paused and let it settle in. "Well? What should we do?" There was a pause and the group looked at each other. Slowly, they all nodded at each other.

"Let's do it" said Lamb.

"Very well" said Brother Pluto and he rolled up his sleeves. "Stand back!" He snapped his fingers and before them appeared a new door. But this one was different; it was a huge dread-portal, covered in spikes and studs and instead of a knob or handle, there was a pressure release valve. Various signs covered its surface of the portal, including a radiation warning, a biohazard symbol and one that read "beware of the leopard". Pluto grasped the central valve and twisted it with all his might until it spun and the portal swung open or groaning hinges. They stepped through and the door snapped shut behind them, tearing a chunk out of Lamb's wrap.

"Where the Hell are we?" she asked angrily, trying to cover her naked backside with her wings.

"Welcome" said Pluto, with a note of fear, "to a part of Jago's imagination. These are his predictions for his life in the future!"

*1 This is actually true; in gang circles, the high ranking dealers have specific types and colours of tattoos to denote their speciality. Full body coverage in spiders means he's a regional dealer, in control of all the lower dealers in an area while dark blue means crystal meth. Don't ask me how I know this.

**Authors Notes: Thought that the middle of this chapter (and some of the start) was getting a little depressing so I thought I would end on some comedy and then a semi-cliff-hanger. Home you enjoy it! Also, working with a deviantart friend on possibly doing some illustrations to go with it. Will attach links when they are ready. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Matter over Mind**

It looked almost like the fantasy zombie hunting world; ruined buildings, smoke and fires. But this was different. The sky was burned orange with dark clouds hovering overhead and a sour wind blew, whipping up clouds of ash and cinders that stained the wings and wraps of the angels and forced them all to cover their mouths. Even the very air seemed poisonous and toxic to life, chocking a cloying with the scent of burning and death.

"What is this place?" Lid asked, shielding her eyes from the stinging ash.

"One of Jago's imaginings for the future" Pluto said, cupping the sleeve of his robe to his mouth.

"But what kind of future is this?" she asked, scanning their surroundings. "It's almost like this entire place is-"

"Dead? Yes" Pluto started walking, forcing the others to follow him. "This is Jupiter's world you see. Or more precisely, this is the future that Jago predicts for himself if Jupiter were ever to take over". He lead them through the shattered city, past the ruins and wreckage of a world destroyed. "I'll give you the full details shall I?" Pluto said. "In this world, Jupiter took over Jago while in Heaven and he destroyed just about everything. You were all amongst the first casualties but he quickly killed just about everybody; the Valkyries, the Praetorians, the Almighty, Hild, everyone. Barely a handful of beings escaped, mostly to either Hell or Earth and they tried to seal him in Heaven but he escaped and destroyed all of the worlds, one-by-one. After that, he headed to Earth where he destroyed all of the Gates, trapping the survivors and then set about hunting down the remaining deities across the globe". The little group paused as they reached the edge of huge crater that cut deep into the surface of the planet before moving off again in a new direction. "It wasn't long until the human militaries started to get involved. They tried everything to stop him; soldiers, tanks, airstrikes". He paused again and ran his hand across an object that lay in the middle of the road, wiping away a thick palm full of ash. "Nothing worked". They then realised what he was stroking; it was the shattered hull of a Soviet made T-72 tank, reduced almost too molten slag. And as they looked around, they realised that the shattered street was littered with similar vehicles, some recognisable, some little more than solidified pools of metal.

"Where is this place?" Lamb asked, resting a hand on the ruined tank.

"It is- was the city of Mombasa. Population one million before Jupiter arrived. Population seven-hundred thousand by the time he was finished". He sighed and glanced back towards the crater. "Population zero once the bombs dropped".

"Bombs?" Lind asked.

"Nuclear weapons. Once all of the deities were destroyed, Jupiter turned his attention on the human population centres and the armies of the world united. In the end though, it was all hopeless. They resorted the final option; mass nuclear bombardments of all remaining cites in order to kill Jupiter. In the end though, it only sped up the process of extinction. Nuclear winter you see? This isn't just ash you're breathing in. It's people. Evaporated people, burned to a crisp and beyond by the heat of the bombs".

"UH! That's foul!" said Damascus, gagging and holding her throat.

"You said it" said Pluto.

"So what happened to Jupiter?" asked Spear Mint. "Did he survive?" Pluto didn't answer as they emerged from the ruins of the city and stepped out onto what had probably once been a beach. But now, it was just another expanse of ash that stretched to the horizon. Every now and then, the ruin of a wrecked ship stuck out like a small mountain from the now dry seabed.

"Well did he survive?" Cool Mint asked.

"Hmm?" Pluto said, lost in thought and then he shook himself. "What? Oh yes. Jupiter survived the bombs alright. By then though, he didn't care. He simply let humanity destroy itself with ultimate fire while he waited from a safe spot out in the middle of the nowhere. And where the bombs stopped dropping, he evaporated the oceans so that the last few survivors wouldn't have any water". He sighed. "Jupiter… he killed more than a billion people by his own hands. And he let humanity take care of the remaining six. By the time he was finished with this world, not even cockroaches survived. Not even bacteria". He turned to the group and gestured at the Mint Sisters. "Currently, you two are the smallest creatures in this world".

"But what happened to Jupiter after that?" Lind asked. "Once he had killed the world?"

"Can we walk and talk?" Pluto said, heading off across the dried seabed, ducking underneath the keel of a grounded aircraft carrier. "To answer your question, Jupiter is dead too now. You see, killing this world was a mistake for Jupiter. You see, Jupiter represented all that was bad in Jago; his will to destroy and to fight. Once he had destroyed this world, there was nothing left for him to fight. Well technically that's not true. There were a few survivors of the Heaven massacre and their demon doublets who managed to flee to Hell and seal the world behind them by destroying all of the Gates that led there. But once there, they were completely cut off from the Earth and could only watch as Jupiter destroyed all of creation. And once he had finished, there was no energy left for them to extract and so, even after Jupiter eventually died, they were doomed to extinction as well. They simply faded away". He suddenly stopped and turned to a small pile of stones that marked an otherwise unassuming piece of seabed. "There was one final act to play though. Just before he died, Jupiter brought all of your bodies here and buried them. Lind gave Pluto a look of disgust.

"Why did bring us to our own graves? That's pretty grim".

"Not to mention creepy!" added Lamb. "I heard of someone walking over my grave but when it's me who's doing it, it means things have gone a bit too far!"

"This isn't a memory" Pluto said simply. "I can land us just about anywhere but we can leave only from areas of special significance. The more significant, the more places we can get to and the faster we can get to Jago". He turned and pointed towards the pile of stones. "Besides, there is something that you should see". He lead them over to the grave and circled the pile of stones until they came to the far side. And sitting there grinning, was Jupiter. Or whatever was left of him at least.

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The thing couldn't exactly be called a skeleton; it still had too much flesh on it. Perhaps a better word would have been a mummy. Jupiter had died in a sitting position, his jacket across his shoulders, his hat on his head and his khukuri across his lap.

"That's all that's left of Master?" Lamb asked, leaning close to the mummy. It was truly grotesque. It's eyes had long since evaporated and the desiccating wind had sucked all moisture from the corps, pulling the skin taught across the bones and leaving the blackened teeth exposed.

"Aye" said Pluto. "And your choice of words is spot on. That is actually Jago rather than Jupiter".

"What do you mean?" the angel asked, straightening herself and taking a step away from the corpse.

"Well, once there was nothing left to fight, Jupiter retreated back into Jago's mind, leaving Jago to deal with a word that he had destroyed. So he did the only thing he could and gave you all a decent funeral. And then he…" Pluto paused and mimed slicing his wrists.

"That's horrible!" said Damascus.

"He couldn't deal with the guilt" said Pluto. "You have to think; he was the last living thing in all of existence. So he died making sure that you were all safe… at least from himself".

"I'm not sure I like this Pluto" said Lind. "I'm staring at my lover's mummy, sat in front of my own grave and trying hard not see symbolism". Pluto shrugged.

"Don't worry, we can move on now. But be warned; I have no guarantees over what we might see next. After all, this is Jago's mind. Destroying all of creation? That's not even half as bad as it can truly get in here".

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It was Heaven that they stepped into next. Or at least a version of it. For this was Heaven in ruins.

"DUCK!" shouted Lamb and enveloped them all in her wings as a huge chunk of masonry bore down on them from the sky. There was a shout however and the huge stone shattered, pelting them with tiny fragments. Lamb reopened her wings as they heard a second voice call out.

"Not bad Lind! But can you survive a rock twice that size?" They all turned to see Jupiter hefting a house sized boulder above his head and then hurled it over the top of them towards a mound of rubble. A streak of white lightning shot froth and again, the rock shattered , showering those below with pellets of rubble.

"Why don't you face us like a man Jupiter, instead of throwing rocks at us?" It was then that a grim faced Lind-avatar appeared from the rocks, grasping her halberd in her hands. This Lind though was different from the current one. For one thing, she was VERY pregnant and her hair had grown long all the way round, tied back into a long ponytail. And behind her came FOUR angels. The Mint Sisters floated on either side of her, glaring at Jupiter. Behind and above them floated Lamb, her wings dwarfing those of the smaller angels. And behind her, glowing with a snowy-white aurar, floated Damascus.

"Is that me? EWW! It looks so sweet and innocent!" Spear Mint and Lamb both glared at her.

"Damascus, there is nothing sweet and innocent about you!" snapped Lamb.

"Yeah _hobgoblin_, don't knock it till you've tried it!" growled Spear Mint.

"Well um… I think I think you look cute" said a very red Cool Mint. "Those tattoos of yours go really well with your white wings". Damascus blushed and looked away as the other two angels stared in disbelief but then Lind frowned.

"Shut up and watch the fight; this could be useful. Oh and Cool Mint? Keep your fantasies to yourself. You may be my angel but now is not the time to start fawning over Damascus like a horny school girl". Cool Mint blushed and nodded.

"Yes Mistress. Sorry Mistress".

"So that exactly is this?" Lamb asked. "It's not one I recognise". Pluto shrugged.

"This is the death of Jupiter". It was then that the fight truly began in earnest. Lind and her angel cohort charged Jupiter, with the exception of Damascus who hung back and started charging a powerful spell. The Mint Sisters reached him first, only to be swatted aside. But then Lind was on him and she sliced at his midriff with her halberd, only for Jupiter to parry with his own weapon. But this was not a khukuri and neither was it a claymore; this was a 1796 pattern heavy cavalry sword. Heavy, ill-balanced and cumbersome, more like a butcher's cleaver than a duelling sword but in the hands of someone as tall and as strong as Jupiter, it was a deadly weapon of choice. The two blades crashed together and Jupiter grinned, swinging his left fist around. And Lind screamed, her side split by the knife like blades that Jupiter had embedded in the set of brass knuckles he was wearing. He then back handed her away and then stood over her, raising his sword high.

"HOLY HELLFIRE BEAM!" The blast struck Jupiter full in the chest; a huge wave of combined light and dark energy.

"DAMASCUS! NO! THAT SPELL'S TOO POWERFUL!" Lind shouted, cupping a hand to her side as one of her angels stooped to help her up but the ex-devil ignored her, pouring her entire force into the spell. Jupiter bellowed in agony, tearing at his chest as the white hot beam burned through him. But it was to no avail; the beam continued to burn through him, searing him in both body and soul until he collapsed. As did Damascus.

"Is he dead?" the real Damascus asked as she watched her Master fall. "And just as importantly, am I?" Pluto shook his head as the little group started to reform itself.

"No, neither of you are dead" said Pluto. "Jupiter would never be so careless as to let YOU kill him".

"What's that supposed to mean?" the devil snapped but was interrupted as the Jupiter-avatar staggered back to his feet.

"Not bad for a white-winged traitor" he sneered, gesturing… at the hole that had been burned straight through his chest, so that daylight could be seen through the other side. "But maybe next time you should actually try and hit some kind of vital organ. Now let me show you what a real combat spell is-"

"WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT ME JUPITER?" The Opal-essence turned to see Lamb descending towards him in her full Prime form, carrying her huge buster sword in hand. "OR ARE YOU TOO AFRAID TO FACE ME?" Jupiter snorted as Lind tried to position herself to support the Arch.

"Hang on Lamb, I'm-"

"You stay back Lind! If anyone is taking this bastard down then it'll be me!" She threw up a shield around herself and Jupiter in order to protect the others. "Right then Jupiter, are you ready to face me?" She grasped her vast sword in two hands and readied herself for battle.

"Looks like I finally found myself a challenge!" said Jupiter and he spun his blade in one hand before levelling it at her chest . "Alright then Lamb, let's just see how well you do against your Master! _EN GUARD_! "

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The Lind-avatar pounded on the shield that Lamb had created but even with all her strength, she could not penetrate the field.

"Why would you do something like this Lamb?" the real Lind asked the real Lamb. Lamb shook her head.

"It's a simple question of technique" Lamb said. "You fight as a martial artist, using speed and skill to outmanoeuvre your opponents. Jupiter however, is just too fast to outmanoeuvre, even though he prefers a brawling style of fight, which would largely render your attacks useless and it would only take one proper brute force move from HIM to beat you. I on the other hand…" She paused as her avatar's blade crashed against Jupiter's. "I am more… adaptable in my fighting style, with the strength and speed to match him, one on one. Plus…" She paused again and turned to face Lind. "Master gave me a single mission above all others, more important even than my life or his; I am to protect both you and his-our son". Lind laid a hand on her stomach and then glanced back across at Lamb.

"He asked that of you?" she said.

"Aye. And for good reason as you can probably see…"

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The two swords crashed together with a cloud of sparks. The two fighters heaved back and forth, each trying to overwhelm the other via brute force. And Lamb was losing. Even in her full Prime form, Jupiter was the stronger of the pair. She had to act. She suddenly released her sword with both hands and dropped to her knees, ducking under Jupiter's blade. She then shot up and struck him full in the face with her right hand. Jupiter twisted away and turned to face her once more and paused to catch his breath.

"Not bad lass. But now you have now I'm between you and your weapon," he flourished his sword, "and I still have mine!" Lamb shrugged and then charged one more.

"RAZOR WING STRIKE!" she cried and her wings morphed into huge, razor tipped sheet of iron which she used to start hacking away at Jupiter. Jupiter fought back, slicing at her with both hands on his sword, trying to beat down her defences. But for the first time, Jupiter wasn't strong enough; her strength matched his almost exactly and while he wielded a weapon with a thirty-five inch blade, Lamb's wing-blades gave her a reach advantage of nearly fifty foot. He just couldn't get close enough to strike her. But then he realised it; while on the ground, Lamb's huge wings made her unmanoeuvrable and with each thrust, she created huge blind spot directly in front of her. A weakness he could exploit! All he need to do was wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Lamb struck forward, slicing with her left wing. Jupiter swung his heavy sword and blocked her attack, force of the blow denting both her wing and taking a chip out of the blade. Before he could recover, she swung her other wing forward but he was ready and seized his chance; he grasped her right wing in one hand and using it to propel himself into the air. He landed back on the same wing and ignoring the pain as razor sharp feathers tore the skin of his back and legs, he slid along the wing and landed behind her. Lamb swung around to face him but… he was gone! She swung herself around, trying to find him but was unable to find him.

"WHERE ARE YOU!? YOU BASTARD!" she shouted, trying to spot Jupiter.

"Right behind you!" he whispered and then he struck, slicing down and using his blade to sever her left wing. Lamb let out an unholy scream and fell to her knees, desperately clutching at the stump of her wing as snow white blood stained the ground. Jupiter grinned and tossed aside her severed wing before kicking her over and pausing to lean over her, leering.

"Touché" he whispered.

"JUPITER!" He sun rapidly, just in time to see Damascus erupt through the shield, in her full Prime form; the horrifying Manticore form of a true Nightmare. He grinned and raised his blade, ready to strike her down. And he gasped. Jupiter looked down at his chest… and at the tip of Lamb's remaining wing which now protruded though his chest, right where is heart used to be. Lamb withdrew her wing with that slippery wet sound of metal sliding through meat and she caught Jupiter as he toppled backwards.

"Touché Master" she whispered. Jupiter grinned up at his weeping angel as she returned to her usual form, tearing cleaning rivulets through the grime of her face.

"You got me lass" he whispered and then gestured for her to lean closer. He spoke into her ear. And he died. Jupiter was defeated. And with him, went Jago.

8888

"So… he believes that Lamb would be the one to take him out? Not me?" asked Lind. Pluto nodded.

"Aye. Seems sort of appropriate doesn't it?" He then turned to Lamb. "Now, are you alright? I know-"

"I'm fine. I am prepared for this eventuality. Although if I have my way about it, I would ensure that this never came to pass". She paused as Lind laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Lamb… if I have my way, then neither of us will ever have to worry about something like this happening". Meanwhile, the Mint Sisters and Damascus were busy talking amongst themselves.

"Have you two noticed how it's always us three who are getting our arses handed to us in this story?" Spear Mint asked.

"I know" said Damascus. "I think we're gonna have to complain to the author about this".

"Alright… but we'd better get back to the story and stop breaking the forth wall" Cool Mint urged and they turned to see Pluto open up the door to the next part of Jago's mind.

"Allonsy!" he said and they headed off once more.

"Well what did he say?" the Lind-avatar asked Lamb as they both knelt beside the Jago's body.

"It was a request" said Lamb, wiping her eyes. "A message to be left on his headstone; Here lies Jago and he's bloody annoyed". Lind paused and then gave one of her sad little smiles.

"Yeah… that sounds like something he would say".

8888

"Where are we? It looks almost like a hospital wing" Lind said, looking around. It did in fact look like a hospital although unlike any hospital on Earth, the walls were made of solid marble rather than plasterboard.

"Maternity ward to be exact" said Pluto, checking the little compass-thing. "Ten points if you can guess what kind of prediction this is going to be about".

"It's something to do with our son" she said simply as they stepped through the door and into an empty waiting room. Empty except of course, for Jago.

"Got it in one" said Pluto. "But I must warn you that this may not be… well… it's not a pleasant one".

"What do you mean?" Lind asked. "Sure he looks a little worried", she gestured towards the Jago –avatar, "but he must surely know that nothing can go wrong".

"It doesn't stop him from worrying though. As for this… this is probably the worst case scenario for what he thinks might happen". They both went quiet as a grim faced goddess dress in the scrubs of one of Heaven's midwives entered the room.

"Lord Jago?" she asked and Jago stood, stubbing out his twentieth cigarette of the day.

"That's me" he said. "Is it over? Is Lind alright? And what about our son? Is he alright?" The midwife shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry my Lord but there were… complications".

"Complications?" Jago asked, his panic rising. "What happened?"

"You may wish to take a seat" she said but Jago shook his head.

"No, just tell me". The midwife sighed and looked him directly in the face.

"Very well my Lord; your… wife? Would that be accurate?"

"Close enough" said Jago. "Just tell me already".

"Ok. To put it simply, your wife suffered a uterine rupture; a breach in the wall of her womb which mean that she had started to bleed into her body cavity. As it is usually only present in women who have undergone a caesarean rather than first time mothers, we were caught unawares and by the time that we realised what had happened, it was too late to save her". Jago gave her a blank look and then sat down very slowly.

"Lind's dead?" he asked, shakily. The midwife simply nodded. "What about the baby?"

"I'm sorry my Lord. We tried to perform an emergency C-section once we were sure that there was no chance of saving your wife but…"

"But?"

"We were too late. Your son had suffocated before he could be saved". The room was filled with a terrible, awkward silence until the midwife sat down beside Jago and cleared her throat. "I-I am truly sorry for you loss my Lord. If there is anything I could do for-"

"I'm good" Jago said simply.

"Are you sure?" she asked, laying a hand on his shoulder but he shrugged her off.

"Yeah. I'm good". He didn't say anything more and eventually the midwife slipped away, leaving Jago to sit alone. Suddenly he stood and with a roar, he punched the wall so hard that he left a fist shaped indentation in the hard marble. "Stupid girl. Why'd you have to die on me Lind?" he whispered.

8888

"Ok Pluto, what's your game?" Lind demanded, turning to face the Opal-essence.

"Sorry?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb with me" she said. "We both know that you're not really jumping randomly. There's a reason that you have shown us what you have shown us and I want to know what it is!" Pluto briefly considered feigning ignorance but one look at Lind's face put an end to that.

"Alright, you caught me" he said. "Look, we'll step into an unoccupied piece of the brain for the moment so that it doesn't matter how long we take to complete this discussion. I'll explain everything once there". He summoned another door and they stepped through into… nothingness. Just a dark space.

"Right then Pluto" said Lind. "Start explaining. Why have you shown us all of this? Why didn't you just take us straight to Jago? Why have you made us sit through all of this drivel? Me dying of childbirth! HAH!"

"And what about me?" said Cool Mint. "What about all this crap about me changing Jago's past by interfering with his memories?" Pluto sighed and reclined a little on mid-air, leaning his staff on some invisible object.

"You wanna know the truth? Well here it is; yes I have been manipulating our path of travel through Jago's memories. BUT!" he said before anyone could say anything, "I needed to. Jago really was affected Cool Mint's presence in his past and I realised that it was up to me to ensure that a paradox didn't occur. It's difficult to explain entirely cause it's all… wibly-wobly timey-wimey stuff. But believe me, if I hadn't steered us through those memories then it could have been really bad for us all. As for just going straight to Jupiter, that was impossible; partly because of the reason that I just stated but also because there is NO direct route straight to him. It just so happened that I spotted an opportunity and took it".

"Alright" said Lind. "I can understand the memories and possibly why you took us to those particular ones but why did you take us through those… predictions?" Pluto sighed once more.

"Again, two reasons. Firstly, it wasn't a lie when I said that they were a shortcut. Traveling through this part of the brain is slightly faster than via the memories. There was another reason however". He reached inside his robe and pulled out a rumpled packet of cigarettes, slipping one out with his lips. He then reached inside his robes and removed a fancy looking Ronson lighter.

"What other reason?" Lamb snapped as Pluto snapped it open. He raised a hand, silently asking for a few seconds, lit up and took a few puffs.

"Where was I?" he muttered to himself, stowing the lighter inside his sleeve once more. "Ah yes… my other reason. I brought you here because there was something that I needed you to see. Those last three… I hate to keep using the word predictions, it doesn't quite fit. Perhaps a better word would be… imaginings? Yes, that fits. Anyway, those imaginings were two fold images. What you saw there were not only possible versions of Jago's future but also, they were the worst case scenarios of each". He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and inspected it with disinterest, twirling it slowly between his thumb and his first two fingers. "What you saw were Jago's worst fears come to life… and three different ways for how they could in fact occur".

8888

There was silence following Pluto's announcement as they all took a moment to absorb what Pluto had just said.

"What do you mean his worst fears?" Damascus asked. "I thought-"

"That thing from the mirror was an earlier version of that first one we stepped into. That was the logical continuation of it. Jupiter kills you lot and then kills everybody. That's how it goes. Jago's greatest fear; Jupiter taking over and killing you all. His second worst fear is that of loss and betrayal". He paused and took another drag at the fag. "He has been betrayed so many times that he fears losing anything he has grown attached to". He flicked his eyes up to look at Lind. "Most specifically, he fears losing all of you. Lind, Lamb, Damascus and the Mints… You are now his family and under his care, for better or for worse. I chose to take you to that particular one because it fitted the situation best; Lind dies in labour, losing not only herself but her angels and our son".

"But what about-" Lamb said but Pluto silenced her with a wave.

"Yes he fears losing you two as well. It's just that he doesn't yet have any imaginings that relate to the death or loss of ALL of you. As a part of his mind myself, I personally wouldn't be able to take it so I very much doubt that he would be able to either. He does care for you in the same way as he does Lind but it would be more dramatic if went for the simple one. If you want I can take you to one where you and Damascus are killed although I have to say that it's rather more gory than death in childbirth". The Archs glanced at each other and Pluto could pretty much read their minds on their faces. "I thought not" he said.

"What about that middle one?" Spear Mint asked. "What was that a fear of?"

"Isn't it obvious? It was fear of death, mixed in with some other odds and sods like fear of making others suffer for his sins, yadder, yadder, yadder. To be honest, that was actually the least worrying for Jago personally. He may fear for his life but only because of the suffering his death would cause to others". Pluto snorted. "You could almost say he's a Ghurkha in that respect. Except he's too tall".

"But why would you show us this Pluto?" Lind asked. "Why would we need to know what Jago fears?" Pluto sighed.

"Lin, Jago is just about the biggest badass in all of existence. He only has two weaknesses; Jupiter and you guys, both linked by some inexplicable twist of fate". He pulled a face. "And I hate fate… never predict anything beyond the next meal is what I say. It's what Jago says too. But like it or not, fate plays his hand and so you, Jago, Jupiter and myself are all linked. And to be honest, it tires me".

"What?" Lind said. "What do you mean?"

"Lind, how many times has Jago summoned Jupiter since you've known him?" There was a brief pause.

"Five times by my reckoning" she said finally.

"Well do you know how many times Jupiter has been called since Jago got himself involved in all of this crap with angels and goddesses and shit? Three. That means a fourty per cent increase in the number of occurrences in the last five months compared to the last _two years!_" He took another drag at the cigarette. "And frankly, I'm tired of it. I'm the one who has to fix things in here every time that Jupiter is called out. I was hoping that by seeing those things, you would understand and therefore Jago could rely on you a little more instead of constantly having to call out his dark side. Is that alright?" There was a moment of silence. And then Lind punched him, cracking his face to one side. He grunted and shoved his jaw back into place. "Ok, I deserved that" he said.

"You're a cold blooded bastard Pluto" Lind said, massaging the knuckles of her right hand. "I thought that you were supposed to be Jago's good half but you're just as cruel and manipulative as Jupiter is!"

"Just because I'm good doesn't mean that I'm nice" said Pluto, waving the cigarette. "But I appreciate your sentiment. There is one notable difference between us though; unlike Jupiter, I have no intention of killing any of you. I just want some peace and bloody quiet". He stubbed out his cigarette and stood. "I think that's everything. Now if you would care to follow me, we should only need to make one more jump and then we'll be at Jupiter's HQ". He snapped his fingers, summoning up another door. "Shall we?"

"Just one minute Brother Pluto" Damascus said. "If you are truly as powerful as Jupiter then why don't you try and take over? I mean, if you wanted some peace then-"

"Are you kidding me? Take over this brain? Outside of the memories and a few bits of the imagination, it's a disaster area! Plus it'd be WAY too much paper work. No, let the ID run everything and just poke it in the right direction on occasion".

"Now if I could just ask a question" said Lamb as Pluto turned towards the door once more. "Where are we going next? What are you planning for this last jump?" Pluto sighed.

"Well as this trip has been a bit of a downer, I thought that before we went up against Jupiter, I would go for one last prediction. And I made sure it was a happy one".

8888

They were back on Earth… Buggerup foundry in fact. And there was Jago. Not quite the same Jago but it was definitely him. He was more heavily scarred than he currently was, as if he had been through the wars a few times. Then again, as the Paladin he probably had been through the wars. He was also thinner than before, his layer of fat replace by pure, rippling muscle. And he was greying just a little at the temples. All in all, he was the same man but aged twenty years. And he still smiled as he worked, wielding his hammers as he fashioned beautiful artefacts of iron, gold and iridium.

"Master" He paused in his work as a Lamb-avatar entered. She too was older but only fractionally, more if anything. But she hadn't lost any of that spark or twinkle of mischief that made her Astrakhan Lamb.

"Yes lass?" Jago asked, turning and laying down his hammer.

"Damascus and I were wondering when we would be going to see Lind once more? I mean, it has been a while since we've been to see them". Jago grinned.

"I have it on good authority that they'll be coming by at some point soon. In fact…" he checked his watch, "they should be here right… about… now!"

"DAD!" The pair turned to see a child of about five come racing into the forge and he almost bowled Jago over in his enthusiasm.

"Hello my boy!" Jago said, scooping him up in his arms and hugging him tight. The boy looked very much like Jago except he had Lind's powder blue hair and unlike the pair of them, his forehead was marked with a tiny blue star that shone with a pale light in the darkness of the forge. And he had the vivid turquoise of Lamb's eyes, with the deep amber flecks across the iris. "Oh it's good to see you!" Jago said. "Have you been behaving yourself?" The boy grinned sheepishly and shook his head.

"Of course not!" the boy said and squirmed to escape his father's grasp.

"Good!" said Jago, setting him down once more.

"Aunt Lamb!" the boy said and charged the angel, hugging her around the knees.

"Hello Little Master" Lamb said smiling. "You've grown since last I saw you". The boy grinned up at the angel and beckoned for her to kneel down.

"I'm stronger too!" the boy boasted, rolling up his sleeve and trying to flex his muscles. "See?" Lamb leaned forward and pretended to inspect his arm.

"Why yes you have!" she said, smiling. "It seems that the techniques I showed you are already working. You're going a fine, strong fighter, just like your father!" The boy beamed in appreciation.

"Thank you Lamb! But you know, I have been practicing my magic as well. Wanna see?" Lamb nodded and the boy snapped his fingers, causing a tiny spark and then a small, white flame to appear from the tip of his thumb. Lamb clapped her hands and smiled.

"My, you have improved haven't you? Perhaps we should show this to Damascus?" The boy nodded and they headed off, hand in hand to find the grouchy old devil. Jago sighed as he watched them leave.

"They grow up so fast" he said.

"But he looks more like his father every day". Jago turned and smiled as Lind entered the forge. She too was older and resembled her mother a little more but she was still his Lind, right down to the cut of her hair.

"It's good to see you Lind" he said and embraced her gently. "How are you?"

"I'm fine my Lord" she said and then rested a hand on her slightly swollen belly. "And they are fine too".

"They?" Jago asked. "Not just a daughter coming then?"

"Twins Jago. Two girls". Jago grinned and knelt, kissing her gently on her belly.

"Twins girls?" Jago whispered and beamed at Lind. "Am I the luckiest man alive?"

"Well that depends on how nicely you ask" Lind said and she pulled him to his feet, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"STOP IT!" the pair broke apart with a guilty grin as their son came race over to them, followed by Lamb and Damascus, both smiling. "I'VE ALREADY GOT TWO SISTERS COMING! I DON'T NEED ANY MORE!"

8888

"A bit sweet and sickly for my tastes" said Pluto, "but I suppose it's better than what he could really expect".

"If I might ask a question, why did the Lamb-avatar say that she hadn't seen either me or our son for a while?" Lind asked. "Jago knows that I plan to return to Earth with him once this is all over so why would we be separated?"

"Partly because of your work and partly because of our son" Pluto said. "You see, as a Valkyrie Captain and with him as Paladin, it is likely, at least in his mind, that you will be regularly separated, if only for short periods. It's just the nature of your work. But once our son reaches the age where he starts developing his powers, it is likely that he will need to be taken to Heaven so that he might fully learn to utilise them. This is kinda Jago's way that no matter what happens, Jago will stick by you and will do what he can to support you".

"I see" said Lind.

"If I can make a point" said Lamb. "I've noticed that you have started saying "our" son, not "your" son". Pluto paused, considering this and then nodded.

"True… but when you think about it, technically, that is true. As a part of Jago, I am as much a part of his son as he is. As are you Lamb and you Damascus. And if you think about it logically then so is Jupiter. I'll let you consider that for a minute. And I suggest that your time because the next stop is the one where we face Jupiter directly". There was a moment's pause as they considered what Brother Pluto had said. And what it implied. Lind watched the avatar of her son as he raced around Jago's forge, closely pursued by his father's attending angels… and she shuddered to consider that Jupiter might be a part of the boy that she saw before her.

"Let's go" she said and Pluto cocked his head.

"You sure?" he said. "You don't want a bit longer to-"

"I've seen enough" Lind said stubbornly. "Now let's get going. Jago is still waiting for us". Pluto shrugged and snapped his fingers, opening the door to the final part of Jago's mind. And they stepped through into nothingness. Pluto looked around, perplexed as the door snapped shut and disappeared, reaching deep inside his robes to remove the compass.

"That's odd" he said. "This is definitely where Jupiter is located. It's just…"

"There's nothing here Pluto!" Spear Mint snapped. "I thought that you said this is where Jago would be!" Pluto shook his head and then shook the compass, tapping it as if that would suddenly make the thing work.

"I don't understand it. This is definitely the place! But-" He stopped. In fact they all stopped. Because they could hear clapping. And from the shadows, a figure emerged. He wore a full length leather trench coat over black jeans and a black shirt. He wore knee high black cowboy boots with silver spurs that clinked and twinkled menacingly as he walked. He carried a khukuri on his belt, opposite an ornate, ivory handled revolver. He wore a Stetson but his was old and worn, the brim ragged and torn, the top shot through. And he had red eyes that sparkled as he came, grinning like a hungry shark.

"Hello there" said Jupiter, sweeping off his ancient hat and giving a mocking bow. "Welcome to my humble abode!"

8888

They all glared at Jupiter as he straightened himself and replaced his hat with a flourish.

"What?" he said in mock disappointment. "No flowers?"

"Where's Jago Jupiter?" Lind snapped, striding forward. "You give him back or-" Jupiter gave a grunt and then flicked his finger at her. With a yell, Lind was hurled backwards and slammed against some invisible barrier.

"Mistress!" her angels cried as they hurried over to her.

"You are in no position to make threats at me" Jupiter said simply, inspecting his nails with disinterest. "Here I have complete control here".

"Not complete control" Pluto said.

"Oh so you're here too?" Jupiter said, with a note of distaste.

"Of course I'm here Jupiter. Where else would I be?" Jupiter shrugged.

"I guess it was a stupid question anyway".

"Enough games Jupiter!" Damascus snapped, coming to stand between Pluto and Jupiter. "We came to get our Master back and we're not leaving until we have him! Now where is he?" Jupiter turned to her with a look of disgust.

"Why would I tell you? You are nothing but a _hobgoblin_ who has been a pain in the arse ever since she showed up! By rights I should-" he never finished the sentence as Lamb shot forward and punched Jupiter full in the face and then bore him to the ground, pinning him under her weight.

"Don't you dare insult my sister!" she hissed. "The only one who gets to insult her is me!" Jupiter snorted and then with barely a grunt of effort, he heaved himself to his feet, Lamb still clinging to his chest.

"Not bad" he said and then he slapped her off of himself. She put a hand to her facer in indignation, gritting her teeth and then with a shout, she readied herself to attack him again. However, as her fist came around to thump him, he caught her wrist and grinned, tutting at her.

"You should know better than that by now" he said. And then Lamb began to scream and writhe in pain as Jupiter poured his dark energies into her. "You see Astrakhan Lamb or should I say, Striking Twilight, you cannot touch me! For if you do, I can corrupt you, as I have already done to Jago!" And before their eyes, they watched as Lamb's skin around her wrist began to blacken and char. Her wings started to turn grey and her eyes started to turn from turquoise to purple.

"Enough Jupiter!" Brother Pluto boomed and he grasped the other being by his wrist, forcing him to release his grip on Lamb. She fell away to be caught by Damascus and almost immediately she started to return to normal.

"You alright?" Lind asked her, leaning on Spear Mint for support.

"Yeah. But that was horrible". They both turned to stare as Brother Pluto and Papa Jupiter stood facing each other, each sizing the other up.

"Where is Jago's ID Jupiter?" Pluto demanded, holding his staff in one hand while fingering the hilt of his khukuri with his other.

"Where? Why he's here Pluto!" Jupiter said with a shout of glee. He snapped his fingers and part of the darkness disappeared, revealing what appeared to be another part of Jago's mind. And there, lying curled in the middle of it, was Jago. It didn't look good. Those parts of Jago's skin that they could see looked ashen-grey and he was barely moving.

"WHHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" Lamb demanded, pushing herself off of Damascus.

"Done? Nothing! I have simply tried to convince him that by joining me, he has a better chance of getting the life he wants. Oh I've seen it… that pretty little fantasy that you yourselves passed through not so long ago. He would do just about anything to have that happen and make sure that you were all alright". Jupiter spat in disgust. "Frankly, it was all too easy for me to convert him".

"YOU BASTARD!" Lamb roared, building her powers around her and preparing to go Prime so that she could fight Jupiter on equal terms. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU JUPITER!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Jupiter said, inspecting his nails once more. "Go Prime I mean".

"And why not?" she demanded.

"There's a good chance that if you do while inside Jago's head, you'll burn out his mind… and we wouldn't want that now would we?"

"He's telling the truth" Pluto acknowledged grudgingly. "That much energy coursing through his head could kill Jago at this point. I suggest that you cool your rockets Lamb". Grudgingly, Lamb folded her wings and returned to normal, still burning with indignation though.

"There is something I should probably mention though" Jupiter said. "The process of converting Jago isn't fully complete yet. There is still a chance that if one of you was able to get to him quickly enough then you would be able to change him back to how he was".

"You're lying!" Lind snapped. "Why would you tell us this?" Jupiter grinned.

"I'm not lying" he said. "The reason I'm telling you this is that the chances of any of you actually managing it are astronomically long and I think that it would be very… amusing for me to watch you fail. And if you succeed? Well, I'll accept my defeat and simply wait for my next chance to take Jago over". There was silence as they considered what Jupiter had just said.

"Pluto? What are your thoughts?" Pluto shrugged.

"In theory, it is possible that one of you could in fact save him… I would go myself but it would mean entering Jupiter's inner sanctum and that is something that one Opal-essence cannot do to another. Now if you were to go, all you would need to do is imagine a door to where Jago is and walk through it to get there. Once there however, you would have to pour as much power into Jago as possible in order to turn him back… and that could be dangerous".

"But it COULD save him?" Cool Mint asked.

"Yes, in theory".

"But can we trust Jupiter on his word? Can we trust him not to interfere?"

"That I swear!" Jupiter said, crossing his heart with mock solemnity. "I swear that I personally will not do anything to stop you if you decided to take this offer. So, will any of you do it?" They went into a huddle and began to whisper.

"You got anything planned for whoever goes in?" Pluto asked.

"Of course I bloody do!" Jupiter said. "I may be a man of my word and will not interfere myself but-"

"Don't tell me any more" Pluto said with a sigh. "I know how much you like your games". Jupiter nodded and grinned and then pulled a thoughtful face.

"Wanna fag?" he asked, offering an open packet to Pluto who accepted and took one.

"Need a light?" the other Opal-essence asked, offering Jupiter his lighter. Presently, the pair were puffing away like steam trains while the others discussed who would go after Jago. So busy were they in fact that none of them noticed one of their number slip away on her own.

"Well, well. I should have known it would be her" Jupiter said.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Pluto asked and then he cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the others. "Excuse ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt but…"

8888

"I should be the one to go!" said Damascus. "I have experience in this kind of thing and I reckon-"

"Sorry Damascus but you're not what we need" Lamb said.

"And you are?" the devil snapped.

"Well yes I am" said Lamb. "For one thing, you don't actually have any light energy in you. If you tried to convert Jago then you would just make things worse". Damascus opened her mouth to snap a retort but then thought better of it.

"I hate it when you come up with sensible answers!" she said. "So it would have to be one of you four".

"I'll go!" Lind said.

"No" Lamb said simply. "Not only would that be a risk to you but also to our child. No, as the strongest, I should go!"

"Who says you're the strongest?" Spear Mint snapped. "Besides, as there are two of us, either Cool Mint or I should go. And I recommend myself as the more responsible sister".

"What about you Cool Mint?" Lamb asked, turning to face the angel… who had disappeared. "Cool Mint?" she asked, looking around.

"Excuse ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt but I believe that the decision has been made for you" Pluto said. He pointed in the direction of Jago's prison where Cool Mint was just disappearing through the door into the room.

"COOL MINT! NO!" Lind shouted. But it was too late. The door snapped closed and Cool Mint was gone.

"FOOL OF A SISTER!" shrieked Spear Mint. "Mistress, I'm going after her!"

"Can't do that" Jupiter said simply. "I've set it so that only one of you could make to Jago. So for better or worse, your hopes rest on Cool Mint to restore Jago. Let's just hope she doesn't cock it up again".

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Cool Mint gave a little shriek as she passed through the portal. It was… painful. Really painful. It felt like a thousand frozen fingers were pulling at her, plucking at her skin, her hair, her wing. Worse still was the pain in her head. A feeling of a malignant conscience that picked and poked at every part of her mind; her every thought, wish and desire. Then it got simultaneously hot. It was curious sensation; being burned and frozen at the same time. She could swear that she could smell her feathers begin to singe while her front was developing frostbite. And then there was a sudden feeling of pressure, squeezing her tightly from all sides, choking her… crushing her… and then just as suddenly, she was through, landing with a heavy thump inside of Jupiter's inner sanctum. She lay still for a moment, trying hard not to vomit, letting her stomach settle.

"Well that was unpleasant" she said finally and with some difficulty, she heaved herself onto her knees. Jupiter's inner sanctum was pretty much the same as the last room; a vast expanse of darkness, with one exception. This room had a floor of black and white checkered tiles. "Interesting choice of décor" she said to herself and heaved herself up onto her knees, using her wing as a support. And then she saw him. The man she had come here to save. "JAGO!" she cried and scurried over to where he lay, curled, with his hands covering his face, sobbing quietly. "It's alright Master Jago, I'm here now!" she said, dropping to the ground once more and grasping the big man in her arms. He was cold and heavy but she pulled him into a sitting position, supporting his head with one arm. "Jago? Jago? Can you hear me?" she asked desperately. And then she realised what was wrong. For this was not Jago. The hands dropped… and his red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Ello my lover!" Jupiter said. And then his hands shot upward, grasping her face and pouring dark energy directly into her mind.

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"COOL MINT! NO!" Lind screamed as she watched the Jupiter-shadow grasped Cool Mint by the face, using his phenomenal power to convert her into a devil. And there was nothing that Lind could do for her. She pounded her fist against the invisible barrier that separated the Jupiter's outer sanctum for the inner, watching helplessly as her angel's skin darkened to grey. Her wing slowly began to lose its lustre and the feathers began to drop form its surface, to be replaced by a bat-like membrane. Her hair darkened, changing from blonde to a deep wine red and her beautiful blue eyes slowly shaded to black as a pair of short fangs slowly emerged from her upper jaw.

"JUPITER! HOW COULD YOU!?" Spear Mint snapped, turning towards the Opal-essence as he watched the proceedings with disinterest .

"What? Turn your sister into a devil using a shadow version of myself? With relative ease as it turns out".

"But YOU SWORE THAT-"

"I swore that I would not personally do anything. I said nothing about using a shadow version of myself. And before you even think about attacking me, I suggest that you think on this; I am not only stronger and faster than you but as you saw from Lamb, I could turn you into a devil, just like your sister, if not even faster. Now I suggest that you just sit back and enjoy the show".

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ENJOY THE SHOW!?" demanded Lind. "FOR ALL OF HER FOOLISHNES, I WILL NOT STAND BY AND WATCH AS YOU CONVERT MY ANGEL INTO AN DEVIL!" With that, she summoned her halberd, levelling it at Jupiter's chest. "RELEASE HER AND JAGO NOW!"

"Nothing doing!" Jupiter said cheerfully, drawing his ornate revolver and cocking it one handed. "But if you really want to fight me then-"

"Wait Lind" Pluto said softly. "There is no need for this". Even Jupiter turned to stare at Pluto in confusion.

"What do you mean Pluto?" Jupiter demanded.

"Well while you were busy trying to fuck up Cool Mint, I was busy doing my own thing".

"What do you mean?" Jupiter said, narrowing his red eyes.

"Like I said, you're not the only one who can create shadows of himself and I sent one to find Jago's ID… and I found him!" Jupiter's eyes snapped open.

"YOU BASTARD! I ALMOST HAD HIM! AND HER!"

"But it's my turn!" Pluto said, turning back to watch once more. "What was it you said? Now just sit back and enjoy the show?"

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Wrath. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Lust. Envy. Gluttony. These were all the feelings that Cool Mint was feeling as she sat on the ground covering her face. She was foul. Disgusting. Monstrous. She was the one thing that she hated above all. She was a devil! She couldn't help but weep as she tried to cover herself with her single wing but then winced as she felt the dry of the bat-like membrane brush against her legs. And then she flinched as she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"Like a hanky?" She looked up to see the Jupiter-shadow leaning over her, offering a silk handkerchief. She snarled and slapped away his hand.

"HOW COULD YOU!? YOU'VE CHANGED ME INTO A DEVIL! WHY!? I KNOW THAT YOU'RE EVIL JUPITER BUT EVEN YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE THAT-OWCH!" She stopped and clapped a hand to her lip as one of her fangs sliced through her tender flesh. After a few seconds, she took her hand away and saw that it was stained black with devil's blood.

"Oh come now" the Jupiter-shadow said softly, offering her his hand once more. "Don't you see that I did you a favour?" She glared at him, daring him to say another word. "Look lass" he said, crouching down beside her, "Jago doesn't really understand you. He doesn't understand you or Spear Mint or Lind… and how could he? He's human and a bad one at that!"

"He's not bad!" Cool Mint hissed. "He's just-"

"Just what?" The devil paused, eyeing the Opal-essence cautiously. "Don't you see lass, I did this to help you. You and your kin were too different, too pure for him to ever truly understand. But now you are a devil, well that changes things! All you would have to do is take my hand and you can have Jago back! I would return him and together, you and him could be together forever! Never mind Lind or your sister or the Archs; just you and him! What do you say?"

"Never!" she hissed. "I would never… never..." She stopped. It did actually have a kind of appeal. Jago… all to herself. But… "I would never betray my Mistress! You could never-"

"Oh come now lass, you can trust me! Besides, I-" And he gasped. Looking down, he saw the khukuri sticking through his chest. "OH FOR FUCK SAKE! TWICE IN ONE DAY!" With that he shattered, revealing Jago's ID stood where he had been, grasping his blade in his hand.

"Finally! I thought he would never shut up!" He sheathed the heavy blade and then smiled down at Cool Mint. "Alright lass?"

"JAGO!" Cool Mint shot to her feet and leapt into Jago's arms, kissing him viciously on the lips. It was only when he gave a yelp of pain that she finally let him go. "Sorry… these fangs are a pain! I can't understand how Damascus lives with them!"

"That's alright lass" Jago said. "I just hope you're ok… well you know, apart from the obvious". He gestured towards her single, bat –like wing and her fangs.

"Yeah… I'm alright" she said. "But are you ok? And… are you really Jago? You're not just another one of Jupiter's tricks?"

"No it's me" Jago said and pulled open his jacket, revealing a name badge. "See? ID. Me write name on sign so me no forget it!" Cool Mint snorted and smiled.

"Yep… you're definitely Jago!" she said. "So now what do we do?"

"Well how about we get out of here and have some lunch?"

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"Very clever Pluto!" Jupiter said as Jago and Cool Mint stepped out of his inner sanctum. "Find Jago while I wasn't looking and use him to break my shadow before he can fully corrupt Cool Mint. You're as sly as I am!" Pluto smiled.

"Why thank you. I learned from the best!" Jupiter and Pluto continued to glare at one another as Jago and Cool Mint were reunited with the little group.

"MASTER!" Jago was nearly bowled off of his feet by the on-rushing Archs who simultaneously squeezed him in a tight hug. Which would have been fine but being busty girls, they were cutting off the circulation to his brain by covering both mouth and nose.

"Help! Choking! Not breathing!" he squeaked, turning blue but the pair ignored him, continuing to hold him tight. Spear Mint and Lind meanwhile were busy chewing out Cool Mint.

"You did it again!" Lind snapped to the downcast looking Cool Mint. "Why is it that every time someone could have interfered this trip, it was always you!? You've caused me nothing but trouble… not to mention all the stuff you did to Jago! And now you're a devil to boot! Oh, you're in for such a spanking when we get home!" Cool Mint gave a little smile, flashing her new fangs.

"Only if you let Master Jago join in" she said softly. There was a moment of tense silence. And then the three of them fell about laughing.

"Oh! You're such a cheeky girl!" Spear Mint said, hugging her little sister. "What are we ever going to have to do with you?"

"In all seriousness though" Lind said, smile fading, "we're going to need a very serious talk when we get home… Jago included". Cool Mint gave a resigned nod but they were interrupted by a loud shout from Lamb.

"OH MY GOD! MASTER'S DEAD!"

"No he's not" Pluto said. "You made him pass out after trapping his face between your breasts for so long that he couldn't breathe".

"Oh" said Lamb, looking sheepish and holding Jago's lolling body away from herself. "Maybe you were right Damascus; bigger isn't always better".

"I told you so" the devil said with a smirk and then she turned towards the pair Opal-essences. "Well Jupiter, we got Master back. Looks like we beat you". Jupiter scowled but nodded.

"You win" he said. "And I am man of my word; I will go back into my inner sanctum and let you go. HOWEVER!", he held up a finger, "trust me when I say that this is not over! Not by a long shot! Next time, Jago WILL be mine! You can count on that!"

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before" Pluto said with a sigh. "Thanks for your help girls. Now if I could have Jago's ID back, you lot can go and I'll restore him to his proper place in Jago's mind". Reluctantly, Lamb handed over the ID which Pluto took with the greatest of care. "Right then…" he said. "All of you need to close your eyes. I'll snap my fingers and when you open them again, you'll be back in your own bodies once more. I'll have Jago back to his original self shortly after that ok?" They nodded and shut their eyes, Pluto snapped his fingers and they disappeared. Pluto then seemed to sag and turned to Jupiter. "Thank you" he said. "It's getting kinda stressful having to fix things around here".

"No worries" Jupiter said. "You think they got the message?"

"I bloody hope so" Pluto sighed. "With luck, they won't need to EITHER of us out again for a LONG time!"

"Here's to hoping!" Jupiter said, snapping his fingers and summoning a table a two glasses of brandy. "Skoll!"

"Skoll!" They both down the brandy and then Pluto hefted the ID over his shoulder.

"Same time next week?" Jupiter asked.

"Yeah! In your dreams!"

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Lind gasped as she emerged back into her own body. They were back in Gandamak's cave and she was still kneeling where she had been when she went in. Around her, the angels were starting to come to, each standing and stretching to ease the pins and needles out of their legs.

"Captain! So you managed it did you?" Lind turned to see Troubadour standing nearby, looking nervous. "You were gone so long, we were starting to get worried about you!"

"No, I'm good" said Lind, standing and stretching out. "Now all we have to do is wait for Jago to come to". And so they waited. And they waited.

"Is everything alright?" Weth asked. "I thought you said he would be coming around soon?"

"He will be" Lind hissed. "Just wait". And then Jago shot up vertical.

"WHOWHATWHEREWHEN!" he shouted, looking around. "Oh".

"Jago!" Lind said. "So you did make it back! We were worried that Pluto might have done something to you!" Jago hugged her back although he looked terminally confused.

"What happened? The last I remember, I was getting ready to kick Gandamak's arse and then I had a weird dream which involved being kidnaped and then Cool Mint was a devil and then there were boobs and then… I just realised that I haven't eaten anything substantial for three days".

"You really don't remember what happened?" Lamb asked.

"Not a bit" said Jago, shaking his head.

"But Cool Mint DID get turned into a devil!"

"What?" Jago swivelled to stare at the new devil.

"Hi Master Jago" she said, giving a little wave.

"Did I do that?" he asked but then shook his head. "No wait, don't fill me in yet. Right now, we have bigger problems".

"Like what?" Lind asked. Jago jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Gandamak who gave a twitch as he himself began to stir. "Oh. Yeah, I guess he does take precedence at the moment. Have you got a plan Jago?"

"Well now that you mention it…"He reached inside his coat and pulled out the bottle of Suicider. "For once I do have a plan. And with luck, nobody should get killed!"

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"Well I can honestly say that I never thought of doing that" Lind said as they sat outside the cave, waiting for their pick-up.

"Of course you wouldn't" Jago said. "You're a Valkyrie. No offence". He took a deep pull at his cigar and then glanced across at Cool Mint who was sitting, talking to Damascus. "You doing alright lass?"

"Yes thanks!" she said. "But I have to say; it's good to be an angel again!"

"What's wrong with being a devil?" Damascus asked.

"Absolutely nothing" Cool Mint whispered in such a way that made Damascus blush.

"Lind! Help! She's gonna ravish me!"

"Down Cool Mint!" Lind said. "You can have a crack at her _after_ we get home!" Damascus looked pale but Cool Mint just chuckled and grinned. It was then that Jago stood, shading his eyes.

"Ah! There's our ride!" he said, pointing out over the hills, as the Tanngrisnir appeared from behind one of the high mountains.

"You called in the that for a pick-up?!" Lind asked in surprise. "It's not exactly subtle".

"Who needs subtle?" Jago asked and started waving in the air, drawing the aircraft over to them. Less than a minute later, the aircraft touched down with a flurry of snow. Valmeyar descended down the ramp of the plane, followed by an escort of Praetorians.

"You made it then Paladin?" she said with a smile. "And I see that the rest of your team are here too".

"Did you find my little group we had to leave behind?" Jago asked, tossing his cigarette aside.

"We got them; the two girls, the Irpa and Kayrune. We're treating their wounds now and they'll be with our medics as soon as we make it back to Heaven".

"Good" said Jago. "Shall we go then?" He took a step forward but stopped when Valmeyar grasped his arm.

"What of the dragon Paladin? Tell me what has happened to Gandamak? Did you kill him?" Jago shook his head.

"No, he's still alive but I doubt he'll be doing any more harm to us". Valmeyar looked as if she was about to ask something so Jago cut her off. "Look, I'm too tired to explain right now. He's not going to do any harm any time soon, I have his word for it and if that weren't enough, I have this…" He reached inside his jacket and pulled out an item wrapped in cloth. "A gesture of peace and good will" he said, gently unwrapping it.

"But that's a-"

"Yes. Like I said though, I'll explain later. Right now though, I think we could all do with a warm shower, a meal and a week of rack time". Valmeyar smiled and nodded.

"Alright" she said. "I'll trust you on this. Now let's get out of here". She reached inside her tunic and extracted a loadstone radio, clicking the button. "Ok Skuld, we're on board. Now let's get out of here".

**Authors Note: Wow... that's the end of the Gandamak arc. Or possibly Arch? Oh I'm terrible! Anyway, it didn't turn out quite how I was expecting it to but if I had gone along with my original plan then it would have been nearly 14,000 words! And that's long even by my standards! Plus it means that hopefully my next chapter won't be too fillery...**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Debriefed and Recruited **

"So just how badly do you reckon I'm about to be chewed out then?" Jago asked as Lind tightened the strap of his ridiculous ceremonial helmet.

"Stop worry" she said with a sigh. "You performed your duty as the Paladin to the best of your ability and they could ask no more than theat. No, better; you achieved peace with one of the most powerful entities in all of creation, one who swore that given chance he would destroy all of Heaven. Not only that but you did so without sparking a major war between us and the Jötunns _and _because of your audacious plan, we were able to recover Lieutenant Kayrune. I can't think of another person in this entire world who could manage something like that and bring both himself and his entire team out alive! Besides, I'll be in there with you the whole time, so if you need my support all you have to do is ask". Jago grinned down at his Valkyrie and nodded.

"Thanks lass" he said and then he scratched his temple, unable to reach his head due to the helmet. "Let's just hope High Council are as understanding as you are". At that moment, the doors to the great chamber swung open and a Praetorian stepped out. One that Jago recognised. "Oh hello Yrsa!" he said, smiling at the same woman who had brought him to his inauguration. "They still have you in fetch and carry duty?" The Praetorian smiled and bowed her head.

"I'm afraid so my Lord" she said. "But it is good to see that you and the Captain made it back safely". She then straightened and cleared her throat, becoming business like. "High Lord Jago, Captain Lind, the High Council will see you now". Jago and Lind nodded, entering the room for their debriefing. "Good luck" the young Praetorian whispered to them. And then the doors snapped shut behind them.

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The room was similar to the one where Jago's inauguration had taken place; a sunken section with a raised central dais, surrounded by high balconies, each lined with representatives from each of the major races. However, unlike the original room, there was a bespectacled secretary with a desk and computer perched in one corner, apparently there to record the minutes of the meeting. Beside her sat a wizened little gnome, the clerk. And he was a literal gnome, less than six inches tall and wore a brightly coloured, floppy hat. He cleared his throat and peered over his glasses at them before beginning to speak.

"We call to order the debriefing of High Lord Jago Finch, Demi-god First Class, Paladin Licence and Captain Lind of the First Valkyrie cohort, goddess Frist Class, Special Category, Unlimited Licence, following their mission into Jötunnheim in order to find and apprehend the dragon Gandamak".

"My Lords" Lind said, dropping to her knees and thumping her right fist against her left shoulder. Jago, unsure what to do, followed Lind's lead.

"Well met Paladin" the Almighty said. "You and the Captain may rise". Jago nodded and the pair stood once more looking up at the assembled leaders. Jago briefly caught Hild's eye as she glanced down at them and they exchanged a surreptitious wink. "Very well, please begin". So Jago did, recounting their mission from the moment that they had stepped through the portal and into Jötunnheim; their arrival and almost being intercepted by the Jötunns, the ambush and counter-attack and the Frost-fiend.

"Excuse me a second" Lord Deaderuss put in at this point. "Why didn't you continue to fight Captain? Even with the supposed loss of the Paladin, you should have been fully capable of dealing with a handful of giants. So why is it that you allowed yourself and the presumed survivors of your team be captured?" Lind lowered her eyes in dismay, knowing full well that she was about to get a royal chewing out of her own from the High Praetorian.

"My apologies my Lord. At the time, I was… emotionally compromised by the loss of Ja- the Paladin. I was unfit for duty and take full responsibility for our capture". Deaderuss sneered a victory sneer.

"So you admit that it was your own fault for your team's capture, even though you were still combat capable? This is a serious matter Captain. If you were any other Captain, I would have you court-martialled for failure of duty. As it is however" he said, glancing across at the Almighty and reigning himself in, "I shall let it slide. However, I shall once again emphasise my point that all soldiers should remain celibate until they are considered senior enough for a position amongst the Praetorians… or their equivalent among the other races". The other military leaders all nodded in agreement as the Almighty nodded slowly.

"Consider your words marked my Lord Deaderuss" he said. "Now Paladin, if you would please continue".

"Got away with that by the skin of your teeth" Jago whispered to Lind who gave the tiniest of nods before Jago launched back into his report. He went on to describe how he had survived the avalanche and his audacious rescue plan.

"Well it all seems very far-fetched" one of leaders said. "Why in the world would you want yourself to be captured? Surely it would have jeopardised the mission for you to do so?"

"True" said Jago. "But it was the only way I could be reasonably sure of locating the others in short order. And it worked, at least in part. If Lind and Irpa hadn't intervened when they did, I would probably have picked the lock, shanked the guard and then gone off to find the pair of them before any more trouble showed up". He then reached inside his ceremonial robes and pulled out a single cigarette. "And now, before I continue, I gotta light up. No disrespect meant but I've had a VERY long day".

"Where were you hiding that?" Lind hissed to him out of the corner of her mouth.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out" Jago said, lighting up. "Now where was I?"

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"_It would appear that he is a man of more skill than we give him credit for"_ Angrboða mentally sent to Deaderuss.

"_So it would seem"_ Deaderuss agreed. "_If I didn't know any better, I would say he Crocodile Dundee trading under a false name!"_ They both shared a mental chuckle but then returned to seriousness. "_What puzzles me is why Weth didn't complete her mission. She had every opportunity to kill him, so why didn't she?"_

_"Perhaps she is simply lacking as an apprentice?" _Angrboða offered.

"_Perhaps"_ Deaderuss grudgingly admitted. "_However, I think we should call her to us once this pointless meeting is over. For now though, let us find out exactly how the Paladin managed to defeat the dragon"._

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"… and that's how we ended up back here" Jago said, finishing his report. He had been as truthful as possible, with Lind filling in any bits that he had missed of left out. Now it was up to the others to decide what happened next.

"There is still one thing that you haven't told us" Deaderuss said. "How exactly did you convince the dragon, one who was notoriously resistant to all forms of diplomacy, to agree to an armistice with Heaven?"

"I was just getting that. I thought I had better leave it for last because it is rather long though. Now I suggest you listen up". He flicked down the fag butt and stamped it out with the toe of his boot. "You see, this is where it gets… a 'complicated".

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Gandamak gave a deep growl as something hard thumped against his snout.

"OI! WAKEY, WAKEY MR GOANNA!"

"Don't piss him off! He'll eat us!"

"He could try Weth, but if he does, I reach down his gullet and I'll pull him inside-out!"

"Isn't that a bit extreme Jago?" Lind said.

"Not at all! You see, I would have to have been _eaten_ before I could pull him inside-out!" It was then that Gandamak's eye snapped open and it swivelled widely for a second before coming to rest on the little group. "Oh look! He's awake!" Gandamak gave a hiss and suddenly reared up, preparing to belch out a gout of unquenchable fire on the little party.

"LOOK OUT!" Troubadour shouted and he dived for cover, followed closely by Weth and Solar Radiance, while Lind and the other angels held their ground. And then Gandamak's eye narrowed as he spotted the tall one, the one in the hat… the Opal-essence. He let out a terrifying shriek and backed away, cowering against the far wall of the cave.

"What was that about?" Jago said, striding forward. "Look, I'm not going to eat you".

"Be gone! Leave me in peace! I have no wish to fight an Opal-essence!" Gandamak retreated even further back, his rear-end going vertical as he tried to back up the wall. But then his eye narrowed. "Wait… you're not the Opal-essence. You're that talkative human! The lying Paladin"

"I didn't lie Gandamak. What you sensed probably was a unit of Praetorians but we did not summon them".

"Then why would they be here?" the dragon growled, lowing itself to the floor and glaring directly at Jago. "Tell me that".

"It seems likely that they are a rescue party-"

"AH-HAH!"

"-For the rest of our team". The Gandamak gave a blink of confusion.

"Explain" he hissed.

"There were three others in our party; two young wish-granters and a Valkyrie. However, one of them was badly injured following an encounter with the Jötunns and was unable to travel, plus we came across someone who we believe to be a survivor of a raid against the Jötunns who was also badly injured. We decided to leave them behind while we dealt with you and told them that if we hadn't reappeared in two hours then they were to call for help and get themselves out of here. I'm guessing that what happened is we simply ran out of time or they panicked and they called in the rescue team. We mean not mean any treachery, it was simply a case of bad timing". Gandamak narrowed his single eye and leaned closer to Jago.

"Why should I believe you human? You humans are all alike; liars, thieves and murders! You have slaughtered my kind since the dawn of time! So tell me why exactly I should believe you!" Jago grinned.

"Because I'm not human" he said. "I was disqualified from the human race for shoving!" The dragon didn't say anything, just blinked very slowly so Jago sighed. "Look mate, I really don't wanna have to fight you. I've had about enough of being jerked around today, especially by my own mind. Those… Opal-essences? Is that what you called them? Well anyway, they've run me ragged today and I have now wish to call on them any more, ever. And I believe from your reaction just now that you don't want to see me call them out either. Am I right?" Again, the dragon didn't speak, just blinked very slowly. "Well then, I'll take that as a yes. The problem is, the way I see it, they'll be wanting your hide even if I don't take it but if I just let you go then they'll have MY hide. So…", he raised a hand, one finger raised, "I suggest a compromise". Once again the dragon blinked slowly. But this time, he spoke.

"I'm listening" he growled slowly.

"Good" Jago said. He glanced back at Lind who nodded slowly, signalling her approval. In truth, she was doubtful about this plan but she had to admit that short of killing Gandamak, she couldn't think of any better plan. "So here's my plan; as Paladin, I am tasked to protect all realms but from what I can tell, Jötunnheim appears to be out of my usual jurisdiction. In times past, there was usually a Deputy who managed this region for whoever the current Paladin was at the time but currently, I have yet to appoint any Deputies. So, Dragon Lord Gandamak, would YOU consider becoming one of my Deputies and acting as the "long arm of the law" in this region?" Silence.

"Are you seriously offering me the post of Deputy?" the dragon asked slowly.

"That I am" Jago said. "My reasoning is this; I don't want to kill you and while you probably do want to kill me, it would be VERY bad for you to try as we both just saw. However, I can't just leave you to roam free at will. So I'm thinking, if I make you my representative here, you can live peacefully without fear of reprisals from Heaven, provided that you don't stray into any of the other worlds while I can do my job without having to worry about a bloody great dragon wandering around all over place, spreading death and destruction in his wake. You'll answer to me of course if anything happens but when you consider the fact that nobody of the other races is likely to enter this realm at any point in the near future and the fact that I am probably the only one who can challenge you in single combat, it works out as a fairly good deal. So what do you say?" The dragon paused, considering the offer.

"What would be my duties?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing. Well, almost nothing. "I would need to know if there were any unauthorized entries into this realm by anyone from the other races. Other than that, all you would have to do is avoid entering the other realms unless I needed you… although if there was ever anything that I couldn't handle then it seems unlikely that you would be able to do anything either. Still, having a dragon as backup could be potentially useful. So again, what do you say?" The dragon again remained silent. He hissed a few times, tapping his fore-claws on the hard stone of the cave floor and rolling his eye a little. Finally, he spoke.

"Very well; I accept". Jago grinned.

"Brilliant!" he said. "Now I'm pretty sure that there's supposed to be some sort of ceremony when we do this and possibly a badge. However, as it is, would you mind if I improvise?" Gandamak shrugged, which was quite interesting to watch, considering that he had five sets of shoulders.

"This is most ridiculous thing that has happened to me in centuries so an improvised ceremony doesn't really phase me". Jago nodded and suddenly pulled his pocket knife from his belt.

"Lind, can I have the bottle please?" Lind nodded and stepped forward, eyeing Gandamak and handed Jago the bottle of Suicider. Jago popped the cork and sterilised the knife in the volatile liquid.

"What are you doing?" the dragon asked as Jago then pushed the blade in to his mouth. Jago held up a hand, silently asking for a moment to concentrate. There was a crunch and he gave a grunt, then flicked something out of his mouth with the blade of his knife. It was the hollow tooth once more and he tapped the diamond he kept there into his palm. The dragon leaned close to inspect the stone. "Now that's a trick" he growled. "Do you keep anything else in there?"

"I have a cyanide capsule in another tooth, just in case". He held out his hand and the dragon gently reached around with one on his huge, seven toed feet and picked up the tiny stone between two claws. "Abracadabra; you're my Deputy" Jago said simply and then slotted his hollow tooth back into his mouth with a clack. "Now then, that's your badge as my Deputy, at least until I can get a proper one made. So, do we have an accord?..."

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"…And that's how I brought Gandamak over to our side" Jago said as he finished his explanation. There was stunned silence from the High Council as they stared down in disbelief. "I know it isn't an ideal situation but I thought that he could prove to be more useful alive than dead. Besides, for all me being a vicious bastard, I just didn't have the heart to kill him". More silence.

"You- Are you seriously saying that you _deputised_ the _dragon?_" Angrboða asked.

"Yes my Ladyship" Jago said.

"Gandamak? The single most powerful and hostile being in all of existence? You made him your _stooge?_" Jago frowned.

"Well I wouldn't quite put it like that" Jago said. "I would prefer to think of it as something like a contract; provided that he doesn't stray from Jötunnheim any time soon and we don't do anything to antagonise him, then we have a mutually beneficial partnership. It's sort of like… the MAD protocol in reverse". There was more silence.

"Well I for one think you've done damn well" Hild said, smiling down at them. "Not only have you managed to effectively eliminate the threat of Gandamak but you have managed it without losing any members of your team. I'm not sure even the Praetorians could manage it as well as you did". There was a scatter of mutterings from across the room but Hild silenced them with a few swift glances.

"I for one agree" said the Almighty, stroking his beard. "While I do wish that the body count for the Jötunns could have been lower, you managed to achieve your mission without unnecessary loss life for our side, while still maintaining plausible deniability".

"My Lord! I must protest!" All eyes turned towards Lord Deaderuss. "In my eyes, the Paladin has not only failed to complete his mission by allowing Gandamak to live but via his actions in the Jötunn fortress, he has risked sparking open war between the worlds!"

"Oh clam up Deaderuss!" Lord Sukaru snapped from his seat, again acting as the military adviser to Lord Buda of the Earth spirits. "I would like to see you have done better!" Deaderuss glared at the Earth spirit but took a moment to calm himself.

"My apologies" he said. "I was simply pointing out that he not only failed to kill the dragon but-"

"He has turned the dragon into just about the only spy we have in a world that is entirely hostile to all other worlds, he managed to avoid war which would have been impossible if you had had your way and he brought back a survivor who may well prove decisive in identifying the traitors!" Deaderuss looked like he was about to explode at Jeiko but Jago stepped in before the two could start hurling fire balls at one-another.

"If I may ask, what is the condition of Captain Kayrune? Has she regained consciousness yet?" There was a moment's silence before Deaderuss spoke.

"The Captain is recovering but she still remains in a critical condition. It would appear that who or whatever attacked her used a weapon known as a de-winging blade; a cruel weapon for use against goddesses or demons that kills you slowly. Basically, if it so much as breaks the skin, it severs their angel's wings and leaves her to slowly bleed to death through loss of magic".

"You mean they used something like that on her?" Jago asked, sounding revolted.

"I'm afraid so. We're doing the best we can to restore her angel's wings but it isn't looking good… and it seems likely that at least until then, she won't regain consciousness". Jago paused and scratched his chin.

"Well that's a downer if ever there was one" he said. "Anyway, that is all I have to report for now". There was a moment of silence but then Angrboða spoke.

"I was informed by Lady Valmeyar that the dragon gave you something. Some sort of… good faith payment in order to help seal your pact. If I may be so bold as to inquire-"

"If you pardon my bluntness, you shouldn't be nosey. Yes Gandamak gave me an article of good faith but as Paladin, I believe I am entitled to keep the specifics of this transaction to myself. Let us simply suffice to say that it is of no threat to any realm and that I intend to place the item in question in a safe a place as possible". There was a general murmur amongst the groups until Almighty One raised a hand for silence.

"Very well Paladin, we shall trust you judgement on this matter. As to your mission, I would like to congratulate you on your first success as Paladin. I hope that this is a trend you have begun and not just a one-off".

"You're too kind my Lord".

"If I may be so bold Lord Jago, what do you plan to do now?" Hild asked.

"For the moment, I plan to stay here for a day or two to recuperate and then head back down to Earth. That is of course unless my services are needed here any longer?"

"No, your services are no longer required in Heaven so you are free to go" the Almighty put in. "However, before you go, it is advisable that you assign yourself a representative each at least for Heaven and Hell so that we may contact you if your services ARE required".

"Very well my Lord" Jago said with a short bow.

"Good. Now Lord Jago, Captain Lind, you are free to go". Both Jago and Lind bowed and turned, exiting the huge chamber. Once outside, they both gave a sigh of relief. And then Lind slapped Jago on the back of the head.

"Idiot! Why did you have to start to start smoking half way through?" Jago gave a sheepish grin.

"I couldn't help it. I was nervous". Lind gave another sigh.

"What am I gonna do with you?" she said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Love me, adore me and kick me up the backside whenever I act like a bloody fool?" Lind snorted.

"The last one maybe". And then she started to chuckle. "We got away with it though!" Jago started laughing too.

"Aye! It's like I keep saying; being forward is always better than being backward!"

8888

"That was humiliating!" Angrboða snapped as she paced the room while Deaderuss took a seat, his chin in his palm. "The head of Hell's Praetorian Guard, made to look like a fool by that idiot of a human! I can see why you despise him so much!" Deaderuss gave a brief snort of mirth and glanced at towards his comrade.

"You need to calm yourself Angrboða. I need your skills for judgement if our plan is to succeed". Angrboða looked for a second as if she were going to blow her top but then nodded and took a seat, straightening her helmet. "I think we'll both agree that our situation is grim though". Deaderuss nodded.

"Grim indeed. To think that that human could not only survive the wrath of the dragon but recruit him to his own ends. Not only that but with Kayrune's survival…" He gave a brief wave of his hand, conjuring a bottle and two glasses. "I hope the drug that you're giving her will remain effective".

"As do I my Lord. However, it will not be long until we are discovered and while I would hate to admit it, I am unable to see a way for us to win clear". Deaderuss nodded in grim agreement, tapping his chin.

"Perhaps we can learn something from Weth… perhaps some weakness that we may be able to exploit. Plus, I would be interested why she failed me when I told her specifically to seduce and murder the Paladin". He pulled the little bell he used out of mid-air and rung it, summoning a Praetorian from outside the door. "Tell my apprentice that her Ladyship and I will see her now".

"Very well my Lord" the Praetorian said with a bow and then turned, exiting the room. She returned a few minutes later, followed by Weth who knelt before Deaderuss's seat and thumped her shoulder.

"My Lord" she said, head bowed. Deaderuss feigned a smile at his apprentice.

"Hello Weth. Did you have a nice trip?" Weth didn't say anything, just nodded slightly. "What was that? Speak up girl!" Deaderuss said.

"Pleasant enough my Lord". Deaderuss smiled.

"Good. Now I just have one thing to ask you". He stood and crossed to her, placing a hand on her head. And then, with a sudden burst of control violence, his foot came up and struck the kneeling girl full in the face. "WHY HAVE YOU RETURNED? YOUR ORDERS WERE SIMPLE; ENSURE THAT TWOARCHS DID NOT REUTRN FROM HIS MISSION INTO JOTÜNNHEIM ALVE! BUT NOT ONLY DID HE SURVIVE BUT HE HAS RECRUITED ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS IN ALL OF CREATION TO HIS SIDE!" He strode forward and stuck Weth again, knocking her backward across the floor with the back of his hand. "TELL ME; HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!" He took another step, drawing his sword; a wickedly sharp katana sword with a shimmering black blade and he kicked Weth over onto her stomach before placing a booted foot between her shoulder blades, causing her to cry out as her blood leaked across the floor and he laid the blade of his sword against her cheek. "WELL? SPEAK GIRL!" Weth gasped for breath as his boot continued to press down.

"Please my Lord! I can explain!" she said desperately. "It was not my fault! I tried to complete your mission but the plan went awry!"

"Explain" Deaderuss said coldly. Weth nodded cautiously, feeling the blade still against her cheek.

"Very well my Lord. Shortly after I left your tent, I was accosted by Astrakhan Lamb. She had apparently been sent to collect me and we fell to talking. I didn't learn much but I do now know that she has lost her taste for killing". Deaderuss blinked in surprise at this and slowly removed the blade from the girl's face.

"Intriguing" he said slowly. "Continue".

"Yes my Lord. Not much else occurred until we actually entered Jötunnheim, at which point, we were met almost immediately by the King Surtr's scout party and I prepared to join them using your code word but the Paladin managed to lead an escape steep slope that the Jötunns were unable to follow". Weth paused to take a breath, eyeing her Master. "Later, we set up camp in an alpine meadow and Twoarchs took me and one of the younger goddesses to collect fresh supplies. We were on our way back when the giants caught up with the rest of the group and launched a surprise attack. The Paladin and the girl attacked them and slew several of their number while tried to remain separate from the fighting. Unfortunately, when the Frost-fiend attacked, I was swept away as well. I'm not sure how I survived but I did and was with the Paladin when he sent Saga to scout the fortress. It was then that… I tried to seduce him".

"And?"

"I failed Master. The Paladin is completely loyal to Lind; he wouldn't betray here for the likes of me. Besides, I was apparently… not to his tastes". Angrboða gave a brief snort but Deaderuss said nothing, just stood and waited for Weth to continue. "Anyway, we discovered a route into the fortress and… well, you know the rest". Deaderuss nodded slowly but didn't remove his foot from her shoulders.

"I see. Well perhaps you were not to blame in entirety". He sheathed his sword and then paused, considering what he considered what his apprentice had just told him. "However, there are several things I don't understand… certain things that the Paladin mentioned that you failed to do so yourself. Why for example, did you agree to search for their equipment once inside the fortress? You had the perfect opportunity to escape so why didn't you take it?" He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "And it had better be a good answer or I will not hesitate to kill you on the spot". Weth thought madly, trying to say something that would keep her alive but in truth it was pointless. How could she explain to her Lord and Master reasoning's that she barely understood herself?

"I- I thought that I slipped away that it might compromise the mission as a whole". She gulped. Well here goes. "The Paladin PLANNED to be captured in order to escape and I could only assume that even without all of his weapons, he would have an escape route in mind, just in case they were unable to re-join with Saga or I. If I had slipped away and he had escaped, with or without killing the dragon and had then discovered that I was alive, then there was a good chance that we would have been discovered". Deaderuss considered this for a second, rubbing his chin.

"Hmm. Flawed logic at best but I suppose I can excuse it in this case. There is one other thing that I don't understand…" and he gave a wicked grin. "You claim that you attempted to avoid combat with the Jötunns but the _Paladin_ claims that you came to his aid just before the Frost-fiend's attack, slaying one of the giants with your knife. Is this true Weth? Did you lie to me?" Weth froze at this, panicking as she tried to think of a way around this.

"I tried to hit the Paladin with the knife when I threw it but the giant moved at the wrong moment and was struck by the blade. It was an accident!" Deaderuss snorted.

"A likely story" he said. "Now here is what I think happened; you have developed an emotional attachment to this human! You have been blinded to our purpose which is to overthrow the rule of Heaven and Hell, combining them under the control of the Praetorians! You let yourself be blinded by a few kind words and gestures and because of this, you failed me!"

"No my Lord! Please! I swear that I would never betray you! I-"

"SILENCE!" And Deaderuss kicked her once more, sending her sliding across the floor. "YOU HAVE FAILED ME ONE MORE WETH AND BECAUSE OF THIS, I SHALL PUNNISH YOU ONCE MORE!" He straightened himself and glared down at the cowering girl, his eyes burning with malice. "Bring out your angel!" he demanded and Weth paled.

"Please my Lord! No! Have mercy on her!" she whispered but Deaderuss simply snarled.

"BRING HER OUT OR I WILL TEAR HER OUT OF YOU! YOUR CHOICE!" Reluctantly, weeping as she did so, Weth lowered her head and nodded.

"Yes my Lord. Come forth Solar Radiance". The beautiful angel appeared behind her Mistress, her head hanging low, both knowing what was coming next. Deaderuss however, took a moment to pause and study her.

"I see that you fixed her face from the last time I had to punish you" he said cruelly. "That's just too bad". And then he stepped forward, his hands suddenly bursting into flames. And Weth was forced to look away as her angel screamed, the heat searing her flesh of her arm and face, burning it away once more, leaving her disfigured again. Deaderuss in the meantime just stood coldly, allowing the fire from his hands to burn the beauty. Angrboða meanwhile just looked on uninterested as Deaderuss punished his apprentice's angel. Finally he released her and she fell away, collapsing to the floor beside Weth, half her face in ruins. But Deaderuss wasn't done with her just yet. He reached down and grasped Solar Radiance by her left wing and then, with barely a grunt of effort, he tore it free from her back, leaving nothing but a bleeding stump. Simultaneously, Weth and her angel let out a shriek of combined agony and Deaderuss grinned as he tossed aside the twitching wing and kicked the angel to the floor. Weth crawled forward and pulled her mutilated angel into her arms, both of them weeping. "Let that be a lesson to you" Deaderuss said. "The next time I discover that you have failed me Weth, I will kill her first and then I will kill you!" Weth nodded up at her Master, holding back her tears.

"Understood my Lord".

"Now as to you next mission; I want you to keep watching the Paladin and return with him to Earth. And once there, you are to wait for my signal, at which point I you WILL kill him. Is that understood?" Weth nodded. "Good. Now, have you had chance to replace your broken weapon?" Weth nodded again.

"The Paladin was gracious enough to allow to have his ever-sharp blade…" she said to which Deaderuss raised an eyebrow.

"I see. It seems poetic doesn't it; to kill a man with a weapon of his own creation?" He chuckled to himself as Weth retracted her mutilated angel back inside herself and then Deaderuss held out one of his bejewelled hands. "Kiss" he demanded and Weth did son, showing her loyalty by kissing her Master's hand. And then he back-handed her across the face, opening her cheek with one of the gems. "And that was to remind you to keep your place Weth! Now get out of my sight! And remember that if you ever disobey again, I will kill you on the spot!" Weth nodded and with that, she slunk from the room, crawling across the floor.

"You truly do enjoy torturing angels don't you?" Angrboða said, summoning a nail file.

"Is it my fault that I hate what I can't have?" Deaderuss said with a shrug. "At least now though I have ensured Weth's continued loyalty". Angrboða raised an eyebrow.

"Loyalty through fear? It is always a dangerous game to play my Lord. Besides, can we be sure that we can really trust her?" Deaderuss shrugged.

"It matters little. She knows nothing about our plans to bring back Kronos. Both she and the other Praetorians believe that we are simply exacting a regime change. Fools!" He paused and drained the glass that he had left on the table then picked it up and appeared to study it for a minute, suddenly becoming deadly serious. "It is time for us to act. We need to summon King Surtr and tell him it is time to start distributing the human weapons we have acquired to his forces and prepare to activate Bifrost in preparation for invasion. Also prepare the system bombs for detonation. Provided the Paladin's mother hasn't removed them all, we should be able to cripple Heaven's defences even before the Jötunns arrive".

"What of the Paladin himself. And his friends on Earth? What do we do about them? Public opinion is in their favour at the moment and they might be able to act as a rally-point for the defenders once the fighting starts". Deaderuss paused and nodded.

"You are right of course my Lady… So here is the plan; we shall make our preparations as silently and quickly as possible but we shall _wait_ to strike until after Belldandy's wedding to that human… Morisato was it? Yes, we shall wait until they return from their honeymoon and then we shall attack them as a group. And if Weth can't defeat the Paladin herself? Well we shall engineer it so that it appears that Twoarchs is the traitor and thereby turn his precious friends against him!"

"But what if Weth fails? What shall we do then?"

"Well I will go myself! Do you really think that given the chance, I would pass up killing the Paladin myself?!"

8888

"You think you'll ever be coming back here?" Jago asked Lind as they finished off their packing. Lind looked around her rebuilt room and shrugged.

"I doubt it. I don't plan on coming back here any time soon once my baby is born, I become entitled to a house of my own".

"Our baby" Jago said.

"Yes sorry, our baby". She sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm still kinda new to this". Jago snorted and stood, hugging her gently.

"Lind, I may be the eldest of four even I'm new at this! Who isn't the first time around?" Lind chuckled and moved to kiss him but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. She sighed and disentangled herself from him.

"Door's open" she said, expecting a Valkyrie messenger to enter but was surprised when Chrono and Bob entered the room. "Oh hello you two" she said with a small smile. "It's been a while". Chrono bowed her head slightly.

"Thank you Mistress" she said. "We were hoping to speak to you".

"Well are you ready to come back home then?" The pair paused and shuffled uneasily.

"That's just the thing…" said Chrono. "We're not going back to Earth". She sheepishly reached inside her tunic and removed a small card, handing it to Lind. "While you were away, I completed my final examination. I'm now an official Valkyrie". Lind took the card and inspected it; Recruit Chrono, goddess First Class, Special Category, Unlimited Licence, Lind handed it back with a grin.

"Congratulations" she said. "Looks like your training with me finally paid off". Chrono bowed sheepishly to her former mentor.

"Thank you" she said. "I could never have done it without you Lind".

"If I could just have a moment" Jago said, "what do you mean "we're" not returning to Earth?" Bob shifted uneasily just behind Chrono until Jago caught his eye.

"I err… I've applied to join the Auxiliaries and Chrono has agreed to take me on as an apprentice. I thought that since you've helped me with my anger problems but I still need some sort of outlet, I should use it in a constructive way by helping Heaven. And while I could never match a Valkyrie, I thought that as an Auxiliary…" His voice faded away as Jago began to chuckle.

"I like the way you think" he said. "Alright then, you stay here and enjoy yourself!"

"I'm not the only one who's staying though. Mum's staying here for a while too. She says she wants to finish upgrading Yggdrasil before she heads back down" Jago wrinkled his lips and nodded. That did in fact sound like his mum.

"Well then" he said. "In that case, I wish you the best of luck my boy. But for just a moment, would it be alright if I talk with you in private?" Bob nodded and so Jago lead the way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. "Now look here Bob, I trust you ok? And I admire what you claim to be doing. But we both know what you're really doing is going after Chrono".

"I am not! I-"

"Oh shut up! I know you are and so do you. And there's no shame in that. In fact, I'm glad you've found someone you like. However, I must just make two points". He raised his hand and tapped a finger. "Firstly; try not to cock up as badly as I did with Lind. Chrono has come a long way to get where she is now and I don't want to see her lose it just because you wanna get into her pants. Secondly; you are my brother and that means you're gonna get a lot of prestige since I'm the Paladin. However, anything you do that you do wrong will reflect on me. And if it's bad enough, don't think for a moment that I won't beat you to within an inch of your life". Bob blushed and nodded, well understanding what Jago was saying.

"I'll try" he said. "And believe me, I won't let you down". Jago's face cracked into a grin and he nodded.

"Good on yah boy! Now let's get you gone! I've got things to do!" They left the bathroom, re-entering the room where Chrono and Lind were waiting. "Right then" Jago said, clapping his hands together, "now that we've cleared that up, there's something that the two of you can do for me; could you track down Peorth and Mara for me? I need to talk to them before we head back down". Chrono nodded and stood, bowing her head to him.

"No worries" she said. She then bowed her head and then smiled. "Well good luck to the pair of you! We'll probably see you at the wedding".

"What wedding?" Lind asked.

"Keiichi and Belldandy's wedding of course!" Bob said but then paused. "Sorry, I forgot that you've only just got back. Belldandy and Keiichi are getting properly married soon after you get back to Earth… you know, to make it official. I don't know the details yet though so you had better ask them". Lind and Jago both nodded.

"Alright then, thank you" she said. "And… well keep yourselves out of trouble".

"Aye! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" The young pair bowed and smiled, before turning and leaving Jago and Lind alone.

"What a predicament! You guys are about to lose another Valkyrie but this time to my brother! So how much of what I told Bob did you hear?" Jago asked.

"WE heard all of it" Lind said. "I've never seen Chrono go so red before". Jago snorted and then paused.

"Looks like you're gonna need a new hobby. I mean, you don't have Chrono to train anymore".

"I don't think so" said Lind. "I plan to take Skuld as my new apprentice". At this point Jago started head-butting the table. "And why are you doing that?" Lind asked.

"I'd forgotten about Skuld. For giving away Belldandy… she's gonna have my legs broke!"

8888

"So why exactly was it that you wanted to see us?" Peorth asked, gently stirring her coffee. She, Mara and Jago were currently located in a coffee shop in one of Heaven's more secluded spots, where they could talk privately.

"And it had better be good!" Mara said, glancing around uncomfortably. She may now be an ex-demon but she still felt uncomfortable being in Heaven for too long. Jago leaned forward and nodded.

"Look you two, let me be blunt; there is something bad going on. And not just traitors. I'm talking something REALLY bad. Whoever this is, they want me and more specifically, they want Lamb. And I need people I can trust on my side. That's where you two come in". He paused and sipped his coffee. "This is bigger than any of us and I need information".

"And that's where we come in is it?" Mara sneered. "You want us to be info gatherers?"

"Not quite" said Jago. "I want you two to be my deputies". There was a moment of silence.

"How big exactly are we talking?" Peorth said, very slow and serious.

"You remember Gandamak? This is big enough that he's a _pawn_. That's how big this is. Something to do with Kronos". Both Mara and Peorth almost choked on their coffee at the mention of the Titan's name.

"Are you serious?" Mara said, her face turning pale.

"Deadly serious" Jago said. "Look, I know neither of you want to do this really but I have to be back on Earth. Kinda my job now. And I need to know if there's anything going on either here or in Hell that might require my attention. Even the smallest piece of information could be useful at this point, could help to solve this riddle. But you two are just about the only ones I can trust. So will-"

"I'm in" said Peorth, setting down her cup. "I still owe you for saving Gorgeous Rose. But be warned Jago, I can't do much on my own. At best, if something does happen, I might be able to give you a few minutes of warning. That's all I can offer". Jago nodded.

"That's alright" he said. "What about you Mara? Are you in?"

"Why should I be?" she said, crossing her arms. "It sounds like a lot of risk for not much-"

"A fully reinstated licence, a clean record, an increased salary and a free car". Jago grinned at Mara's stunned face. "Friends in high places" he said. "Look, I know you don't like me but at least humour me. If nothing else then it should get Hild off your back if she knows that you're working for me". Mara paused for a second, considering this.

"What kind of car?"

"1973 Dodge Charger. Your choice of colours". He shrugged. "I always figured you'd drive a Dodge".

"Deal". They shook on it.

"Look, I know this is sudden but you have to see; I'm gonna need all the help I can get. With luck, we can stop whatever is gonna happen ASAP and nobody has to die". He drained his cup and set it down, before sliding a couple of things towards them. "These are your badges, at least for now. Now, you'll have to excuse me because I have limited time and several more things that I need to sort out before I leave tonight". He stood, bowed his head and left without any other explanation.

"Well that was brief" Mara said, holding up the tinny badge; it was the same as the one that Jago wore on his Stetson, the rearing horse of the 1st Battalion REME. "So what do you think? Do you think that things are really that bad?" Peorth shrugged.

"Almost certainly. Did you see how nervous he was? He really didn't want to spend any more time here than he had to. And if Jago's scarred then we should be too. So I suggest that we try to help him as best we can". Mara nodded and absently pinned the badge to her shoulder.

"One thing Peorth; why did you accept when you hadn't even heard the full offer yet? All we had heard up to that point was doom and despair".

"Well that's simple" she said, pinning her own badge to one of her leather "wings". "Partly because I still owe him one and partly because I've used up all my holiday time for the next three years while I was stuck on Earth so as a deputy, I might be able to weasel some extra time off if Jago signs for it" Mara snorted.

"You goddesses are as crooked as we demons are!"

"Of course we are! We just don't advertise it as much!"

8888

"Lord Deaderuss, Lady Angrboða, it is good to see you once more"

"King Surtr, welcome" Deaderuss waved the giant into a chair as the two escorts loomed large on either side of him. The two bodyguards were truly horrifying. Each was easily twenty foot tall, with huge teeth that hung down from their mouths like tombstones and necklaces and armbands of skulls. Like every member of their race, they were deep blue in colour but with eyes that glowed red-orange like coals and within their filthy loin-cloths, they wore huge knives of bone, each as big as a sword to a regular person. And they stank! They stank of rotting meat and sweat, strong enough to make the Praetorians who stood behind Deaderuss and Angrboða gag with disgust. The Jötunn king however was far less impressive. A mere ten foot tall and almost no scars, his lank hair hung in filthy locks from his scalp and beard. Unlike the other giants though, he wore a rough tunic of uncured hides and upon his head, he wore a battered, rusting crown, studded with glass gems. But it did would not do well to be deceived by this being. There was a reason he was the King of the Jötunns, ruler of the most warlike and aggressive race in all of existence. He ruled with a strength and cunning that would put most leaders to shame and his fighting skills were virtually unmatched; the severed wings of more than a dozen angels and devils that covered his back were proof of this. But for now, he was here to talk. He took his seat and plucked the delicate glass chalice from the table, lifting it to his nose and inhaling deeply. "Hmm… 1961 Petrus… very nice(*1)" he said, taking a sip.

"Only the best my Lord" Deaderuss said. "But now if we may, we need to get down to business". The King didn't answer immediately, simply sipped the wine with remarkable delicacy for such a horrifying beast and then nodded.

"Very well" he said. "My soldiers are ready to move on both Heaven and Hell as soon as the weapons are delivered. Have you managed to procure what you promised?" Angrboða nodded.

"Yes my Lord. Our spy, a human known as one Mr Aoshima, put us in contact with a number of human arms dealers before we were forced to terminate him following a failed attempt on the Arch's life. Currently, we have one-hundred and twenty thousand AK-74s, twenty-thousand RPG-7s and more than two-hundred ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, all ready for distribution as soon as this meeting is complete. I think you will agree; more than enough to deal with both the Valkyries and the Niflguard, especially once the Praetorians join your forces". King Surtr nodded and grinned a little.

"Excellent! With that much weaponry, we are sure to overwhelm those fools and take what is rightfully ours!" He laughed and downed the last of his wine, setting the chalice down on the table once more. "However, there are still a few things we need to organise. Firstly, how do you plan to deal with the Paladin? I understand that even with your assassin in his team, he was able to escape my capture teams and escape my realm. Why didn't you assassin attempt to make contact with my forces? We could have co-ordinated with her and arranged to send a larger team after them before they reached the dragon". Deaderuss glanced nervously at Angrboða who glanced back at him, each silently talking to the other in their minds.

"She was concerned that she would be discovered. For all of her skill and special training, she was not an experienced soldier. As such, she panicked and was therefore unable to complete her mission".

"I see" said the giant, quietly refilling his glass. "Her inexperience cost us dearly… more than a hundred of our people were killed during their escape from the minor fortress. However, this is of little consequence. Now answer your question; what do you plan to do about the Paladin NOW?"

"We have that all arranged" Deaderuss said. "We will wait one more month, until just after the wedding for the Almighty's middle daughter, Belldandy and we will then ensure that he really does end up dead. You can believe me, we are pulling out all the stops for this one. We are even planning to go so far as to requisition some of the Gleaners for the mission". The giant gave a little shudder.

"Gleaners? Are you sure? They are even more powerful than Gandamak! Not to mention that they are extremely unpredictable".

"Trust me my Lord, I will be there myself to ensure that if both Weth and the Gleaners fail in their duty, then at the very least, the Archs will personally die by my blade. And as you well know, without his Archs, the Paladin will be virtually powerless!" The giant King nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of Deaderuss.

"Very well then. If you think this is the best cause of action then I will support you fully in this endeavour. So we move in exactly one month?"

"That's the plan. However, I must insist that you wait for our signal before you attempt your deployment". Surtr nodded and raised his glass.

"Very well then. To victory!"

8888

"I can't stand those giants!" Angrboða said after King Surtr and his entourage had left, leaving her and Lord Deaderuss alone in the room, having sent away their own guards as well. "I know that we must work with them but they are foul! What possessed the Titans to create such beings in the first place?"

"Who knows" Deaderuss said. "But that matters little… as do they. Once the Valkyries and the Niflguard are defeated, we will have no need for bothersome giants and they can be deposed of. All we have to do is continue to play along at least until then, at which point they can be safely exterminated. Remember my dear, Kronos must rise!"

"Aye, Kronos must rise!"

8888

A large crowd had gathered around the Tanngrisnir as they prepared to depart, all wanting to wish them a farewell. Keiichi and Belldandy were busy making last minute arrangements to have invitations sent to various deities while Urd simply loaded herself on board, bored by the whole thing. Skuld was still not talking to Jago for tricking Belldandy into marrying Keiichi and so was busy sulking in the cockpit while they made their last farewells. Eir and Saga however were not joining them as they had now been accepted into the Goddess Relief Office and would be staying in Heaven except for official contract visits.

"So that was Heaven" Jago said to Lind as they took their seats in the back of the plane. "Nice place to visit… wouldn't wanna live here though". Lind grinned.

"Exactly my point" she said. "You can see why I was happy to get away". It was then that they heard a series of cries from outside the plane and so they went to investigate.

"Lord Jago! Captain Lind! Over here!" The pair turned to see a now familiar figure making her way through the crowd towards them. "Good, I caught you!" Weth said, setting down her bag and wiping her brow with her sleeve. She had used a healing spell to cover her injuries and so, to Lind and Jago, she looked like she usually did. "I was hoping that I could join you on Earth" she said as the pair came striding down the rear ramp of the plane. "I was wrong about you Paladin; after what you did with Gandamak, I realised that for all your faults, you are actually a good man". She paused and decided to use her initiative. "As such, I was hoping that I could come and study under you and that… perhaps… you might accept me as your apprentice?" Jago was taken aback by this sudden announcement from the usually haughty and hostile Weth and turned to Lind for support. She simply shrugged.

"_It's your call"_ she told him mentally. At that, Jago turned.

"Alright lass, you're in. Grab your kit and load up. We're leaving in five".

"Sucker" Weth whispered to herself as she climbed aboard the massive aircraft and took her seat. She was determined now. She would not fail Deaderuss this time.

8888

They were now back on Earth. The trip back had been uneventful and once they had settled back into the temple, peace had returned once more. Except for Jago. For even though they had only been back one night, he was the Paladin and that meant that whenever there was something that threatened the peace and stability of the Earth, it was his job to fix it. And that was why the phone rang at that time of night that is so late, it's getting early. With a grunt, Jago opened one eye ot look at the clock, swore when he saw time and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he grunted as Lind stirred sleepily beside him.

"Waz up?" she asked, her head still crowded with cobwebs. Jago didn't answer immediately, just kept talking to the person on the other end of the line.

"Alright" he said finally. "I'll be there in twenty minutes". He set the phone down and with a sigh, he started pulling on his boots.

"What's up Jago?" Lind asked, leaning heavily on one elbow and looking up at him. Jago sighed once more.

"Paladin stuff" he said. "Apparently there's a roc on the loose somewhere over North Sudan and they want me to deal with it". He reached for the packet of cigarettes he usually kept by the bed but then remembered his promise and instead picked up a packet of nicotine gum, popping a couple into his mouth. "Today was a bad day to quit smoking" he said.

"A rock? You mean a stone?"

"Wrong kind of roc" Jago said. "I mean the giant elephant eating bird".

"Do you want me to come?" Lind asked, rolling back the sheets. Jago turned to look at his goddess's beautiful naked form as she lay there in the moonlight and was tempted to say yes. But then his eyes fell on her belly which was showing just the slightest sign of a bulge and with a reluctant sigh, he shook his head.

"No, this shouldn't be too much trouble. Rocs may be big but I doubt it will be anything that I can't handle on my own".

"Well even so, you shouldn't go alone. Take Weth with you at least". Jago nodded and then kissed his goddess gently on the cheek.

"Ok, I'll take Weth. Now you keep the bed warm; I'll be back soon". Lind smiled but then he turned and with a click, Jago pulled the door closed behind him and strode off into the night. Silently Lind sat up in bed and she placed and hand on her stomach, feeling the tiny heartbeat or her son within her.

"Be safe Jago Finch" she said softly. "And hurry back".

*1 One of the best vintages available, if you ever find a bottle, expect to pay upwards of $15,000 per bottle (about £10,000 or 12,000 Euros).

**Authors Note: knocked this out in the near record time for me of less than four days. Not bad right? To all new people who have started reading Archfall, I tend to update every 6-7 days although it can take anything from 3-10 days, depending on the chapter. I was originally planning to make this a funny chapter but I guess that didn't pan out right? Probably gonna put some funnies in the next chapter… right before it gets MAJORLY dark. Gotta balance it out right. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Finally Married**

**Or**

**Deaderuss Makes His Move**

_Darkness and fire. The ruins of a city. A recurring theme inside of Jago's mind. But this was different. This was not Jupiter's doin. And the, HE spoke, with a voice that both a roar and a whisper._

_"You have failed Paladin. Even with all of you strength, you are not enough to stop me". Jago looked up from the sea of fire and ruination, up at the great phantom eye of the Titan, large enough to dwarf a hypernova . And he felt fear, fear even to his deepest core. Even Jupiter, with all his malice and power could not help but shudder at the sight of that fearful orb. But he had to stand… for them._

_"I may yet fail but I am still the guardian of this world. Lamb, Damascus, Lind, I would lay down my life for any of them. In fact, I would I would die to protect any being in this world… for every being deserves to live"._

_"What of the sinners? The wicked? The profane?" What of them? Surely you would give up your life needlessly for them?"_

_"I am one of those people Kronos! Any soul is worth dying for. The way I see it, everybody has gotta have somebody to look down on and if they can't find nobody else, they can help themselves to me. So just remember Kronos; while I still draw breath, THIS PLANET IS DEFENDED!" The great eye blinked slowly and even though no mouth was visible, you can almost sense Kronos's grin._

_"Then breath no more Paladin! FOR I AM COMING!"_

8888

Jago awoke with a start and sat up, rubbing his face to clear the memory of the dream from his mind.

"Bloody Hell" he swore softly to himself.

"_Are you alright Master?" _Lamb asked from deep within his consciousness.

"_I'll be alright lass, you just go back to sleep_". Lamb seemed doubtful but trusting her Master, she allowed herself to fade back into sleep. Jago however could not sleep. He needed air. Gently, he leaned over and kissed Lind on the cheek, rubbing his thumb gently across one of her cheek circles in a moment of tenderness. He then stood and left the room, quietly closing the door behind himself. A few minutes passed and then Lind too stirred, opening her deep blue eyes. Realising that she was alone, she stood and then using a sheet to cover herself, she went in search of Jago. She found him leaning against the frame of the front door, looking out at the surrounding forest. Soft moonlight reflected off of his skin and she felt a slight twinge as she realised that he had changed since they had first met. Gone was the overweight, unkept man he had been; now he looked, taller, thinner, more muscled and more heavily scared. But he was still the same man. He still had the same smile; then one that helped to hide a soul that could either be as warm as a raging fire or as cold and hard as iron. Now however, his smile was gone and his shoulders drooped as of a great weight tied round his neck. She needed to talk to him. Moving silently, she moved up behind him and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's cold out here" she said. "But on my own, the bed is cold AND lonely". Jago gave a weak smile and reached over his shoulder, grasping her hand in his, kissing it gently.

"Sorry" he said. "I needed some air". Lind reached out and touched his cheek, making him turn and face her whilst shaking her head.

"Don't you lie to me Jago" she said. "It doesn't matter what it is, you can always tell me. So what's wrong Jago?" The big man sighed, knowing that there was no way out of it.

"Not much" he said. "Just a kooky nightmare".

"Kronos?" He nodded. "Tell me". So he did.

"I saw the world… or rather, what was left of it if Kronos were allowed to have his way. T wasn't pretty. And while I was still fighting-fit, I could tell that it was a lost cause. Even with all the power of both Jupiter and Pluto, I was unable to stop him and for all that I talk a good talk, he still squashed me like a bug. And it made me think, am I really destined to fail? If Kronos really does return, how in the world-"He was suddenly stopped as Lind slapped him hard across the face.

"YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW JAGO FINCH!" she shouted, glaring up at the big man. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO START HAVING DOUBTS AND SECOND THOUGHTS! YOU'RE THE PALADIN JAGO! REMEMBER THAT!" She paused, taking a breath and then started up once more, hands on hips. "And don't forget that you will never stand alone. All of Heaven, Hell and everything in between can be at your disposal in seconds if you were to so wish it... as am I. I would go to the ends of the Earth and beyond for you, so don't you ever forget it!" She paused again and slowly massaged her temples with one hand before starting again in a more gentle voice. "Look, I know it's hard but I have faith in you... we all do. Why else would the Almighty One give us his blessing? Besides, I'M the pessimist in this relationship. When you start talking like that, it just gets damn depressing". Jago nodded and gave a little smile.

"Thanks lass" he said. "You're right, I can worry about like that _if _and _when_ they occur. I shouldn't waste my time with what ifs that most likely will never have cause to occur". And then he broke into a cheeky grin. "Especially when I have more immediate problems". Lind cocked her head, confused.

"What problems?"

"Well for example, getting my head bitten off by an extremely beautiful but also extremely _naked_ Valkyrie Captain". It took a minute for Lind to work out what he meant but then she twigged and looked down, going into a full body blush when she realised that in the process of accosting Jago, she had dropped her sheet. She quickly bent to pick it up but Jago was quicker and with a great shriek of laughter, he swept her up in his arms and held her to himself.

"Put me down!" she demanded between fits of giggles but Jago ignored her and just gripped her even more tightly.

"Now why would I ever want to do that? That would mean letting you go and I could never do that Lind. Besides, you feel absolutely frozen! Look, you're all covered in goose-bumps!" Lind smiled and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering seductively into his ear.

"Well you had better take me back to bed and warm me up then!" She gave a little chuckle. "And then I suggest that we get some sleep. Tomorrows is going to be a long day". Jago nodded.

"Bell's hen-night" he said. "You wearing the feather boa? The pink one?"

"Only if you show me those ridiculous rubber breasts I know you have hidden away for Keiichi's stag-do. And don't deny it; I may not be social but I DO know what goes on at men's parties!" Jago grinned.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" Lind smiled and slapped him playfully on the chest.

"Cheeky sod!" she exclaimed.

"You have no idea!" And they fell to laughing once more as Jago carried her inside, his nightmare forgotten and gently deposited her on the bed. And then he went on the offensive.

"NO! DON'T TICKLE ME!" Lind squeaked as Jago began his relentless assault.

"Well how about I blow a raspberry on your tummy?"

"NOOOO!"

8888

"So why exactly do I have to work with the shrimp anyway?" Weth asked, earning evil looks from both Skuld and Noble Scarlet. "I thought I was supposed to be working as your apprentice, not as a blacksmith!" It was a couple of days following the parties, just before the wedding and they were all making their last minute preparations for the event. And what an epic last few days it had been… not just Keiichi and Belldandy had had their last party as singles but so had Holybell; for the first time in memory then had been an angels only hen-night, much to the amusement to those involved, especially once it was discovered that she shared Belldandy's weakness for cola. Now however, there were things to be done and as such, Jago had taken both Skuld and Weth aside so that he could make a start at a special project.

"Because my girl, you need to learn something other than how to crush a man's head into a diamond with your bare hands. Having more than one skill that you can rely on is always useful. Plus, you don't play well with others… and thinking about it, neither do you Skuld! Besides, Skuld is training to become a Valkyrie so I thought that maybe you could help her out a little. In return, she could at least show you the ropes".

"But if I have to do something like this, wouldn't it be better to actually learn from you Master? You-"

"I'm doing a special request for Keiichi and I need to get it just right if this is to work".

"What exactly are you working on?" Skuld asked. "And remember, I still haven't forgiven you for tricking my big-sis into marrying Keiichi so-"

"I've been asked to make the rings" Jago said simply. "Is that reason enough?" Skuld paused and then nodded.

"Alright, I'll let you off. But just so you know, I still don't like the fact that I have to work with Weth".

"The feeling's mutual!" Weth said and the pair turned to snarl at one-another.

"Oi! Stop that! I'll set Damascus on you!"

"Does somebody need eating?" the devil said, poking her head around the corner.

"NO!" Skuld said as Noble Scarlet dived behind her. But then she grinned. "But if you tried, I tell Cool Mint to come after you!" Damascus paled; since coming back to Earth, Cool Mint had become more "romantically aggressive" towards her and she had been forced to take cover whenever the angel made an appearance. Silently, her head disappeared back around the corner, making Skuld and Noble Scarlet giggle.

"Now look, I just want you two to get started" Jago said. "I'm sorry if you don't like it but it's my responsibility to make sure you two actually do something useful today and I can't keep my eyes on both of you today. So either you work together OR I send you bother Lind for the rest of the afternoon. And she'll be far less amiable than I am". The trio looked at one another; the former Praetorian, the new Trainee and her angel and for once, they were in agreement.

"Alright, just for today" Noble Scarlet said.

"Good, good, Добре, Добре. Now off you go; I've got things to do". The trio disappeared into the back of the Buggerup workshop as Lamb made her way in from outside, disguised in her human-illusion form.

"Do you think they can learn to work together?" she asked, watching the girls disappear.

"I hope so" Jago said. "Anyway, we've got things to do. Damascus; come on out, Cool Mint's not around". Damascus carefully reappeared, looking a little nervous.

"Ok" she said. "I've got the spell that you wanted ready. So are we really gonna do this for them?" Jago nodded.

"Aye. Palladium white gold with a little something extra. So if you wouldn't mind firing up the forge-"

"Master Jago? Are you there?" Damascus dived for cover as Cool Mint appeared in the forge.

"Coward" Jago muttered to the cowering devil. "I thought you were supposed to be the scary one but now you're cowering from a pretty little angel!" He then turned to Cool Mint.

"Hey lass, what's up?"

"Well two things" she said. "Firstly, do you really think I'm pretty?"

"Yes, yes I do" Jago said with a grin. "And the other thing?"

"It's about the wedding tomorrow. Mistress just received a message from the Almighty One; he and Lady Anzus will be appearing in person… with a full security detail of course. She just thought that as the Paladin, it would probably be in your best interest to be ready to receive them. You see, they haven't been to Earth for a while and urr… they may be a little… odd". Jago sighed.

"Alright" he said. "Looks like I'm in for a busy day tomorrow".

8888

The ceremony was fairly short and simple; a Western style wedding with a handful of Keiichi and Belldandy's friends and relatives. Keiichi's parents; Keima and Takano Morisato and his little sister Megumi were present, as were a few members of the Auto-club, with Tamiya acting as best man. Otaki and Jago in the meantime were there as his ushers as he stood and sweated in his brand new suit of expensively tailored silk. Belldandy in the meantime was in her beautiful flowing white gown and veil, smiling softly to herself. Urd was stood to one side, dressed in her own gown of deep purple, acting as maid-of-honour and just behind her, in their peach gowns were Lind and Peorth, acting as brides maids. Skuld meanwhile was the flower girl, in a smaller, veilless version of Belldandy's dress. And in there in the stands was probably the most powerful collection of deities that had ever been seen on Earth. Lord Tyr as the Almighty and Belldandy's father was there, alongside Lady Anzus and the rest of the seats were occupied by various goddesses and gods whom Belldandy had known as friends as years. What few of them realised was that despite all the pleasantries, this was probably the most heavily guarded wedding that there had ever been, with more than two-hundred miniaturised Valkyries that Jago had counted by the time that the ceremony was over.

"_The Almighty really gone all-out with the security" _Jago told Lind via a mental connection.

"_This is the first time that ANY Almighty One has been to Earth since the whole Tower of Babel incident, not to mention that this is probably the only time that this many deities will be on Earth EVER. If someone were to choose a moment to launch crippling attack against Heaven, now would be the time"._ Jago sighed as he spotted another mini-Valkyrie as she ducked her head back inside the main pipe of the great organ.

"_Two-hundred and one" _he said and then paused. _"Well I have to say that at least you look good in a dress"._

_"Don't get too used to it! First chance I get, I'm putting trousers back on! This thing is far too breezy and impractical! How am I supposed to kick people in this thing?" _Jago gave a near silent chuckle and turned his attention back to the ceremony.

"Do you, Belldandy Anzus-daughter, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the minister asked.

"I do" Belldandy said, smiling brightly and blushing. The minister smiled and turned to Keiichi, who was still sweating profusely.

"And do you, Keiichi Morisato, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" There was silence. But then it happened;

"I do!" He had said it. After all this time, he had finally said it. The minister nodded.

"In that case, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride!" A cheer went up as Belldandy threw her hands around his neck and kissed him hard, nearly bowling the poor man over.

"Ah, mon cher!" Peorth said, wiping tears from her eyes. "And I was so hopeful when Keiichi and I first met".

"You would have died of frustration first" Urd whispered to her, also drying her eyes as Belldandy finally released Keiichi, allowing the poor man to breath. "I mean, it's taken nearly five years for them to get here!"

"But looks like we finally managed it".

"Actually ladies" said Jago as they started back down the aisle to the reception, "I think this might be more my doing than yours. I mean, I was the man who tricked them into marrying in the first place".

"And I'm gonna get you for that Jago!" said Skuld with an evil grin.

8888

Jago and Lind stood together, apart from the main party, each with a drink in hand, she with champagne and him with a beer.

"Well that wasn't so bad" Jago said. "Looks like we didn't need all those Valkyries after all". Lind shrugged and took a sip from her glass.

"Ah well, it was better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them". She paused and cocked her head. "So what happens now? Now that they're married I mean?"

"Well, once the gifts have been given, there's various odds and sods that go on and then they depart on their honeymoon… two weeks in Australia I believe was the plan. From there, well… we'll just have to see. In fact, if I were you, I would head on over there and join the party".

"Why's that?" Lind asked. "You know I'm not social".

"Well Bell's about to toss the bouquet and traditionally, whoever catches it is supposed to be the one who gets married next".

"Is that really true?" Lind asked.

"For women yes. For men, we have to wait until she tosses her garter and then we have to put it on whoever caught the bouquet". Lind blushed.

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. Don't worry, I'll try not to catch anything. Now go on, enjoy yourself. Oh and don't forget your gift!" Lind nodded and handed Jago her glass and then pulled a small box seemingly out of free air before smiling and disappearing into the crowd.

"Quite a little shindig" a voice said by Jago's ear and he turned to see a REALLY tiny version of Hild hovering beside his ear.

"Oh hello" he said. "I didn't expect to see you here". Hild shrugged.

"You have any idea how hard it is for the Daimankaichō to get an invite to something like this? EXPECIALLY with Tyr present!" She sighed. "That's why I had to come like this… he would be bloody furious if he knew I was here and I would rather not have to fight off an entire Valkyrie cohort all on my own".

"So if you can't let anybody see you, then why did you come? Surely it's a bit risky?"

"Well partly it's just that; a bit of risk is good for the blood".

"I always thought that a even a little bit or peril was far too perilous" Jago said.

"You've been watching too much Monty Python" Hild said mildly and then paused. Lord Sukaru who had been invited at Belldandy's insistence had just unveiled his gift; an enchanted greenhouse that adapted itself to create the perfect growing conditions for whatever plants were placed inside. "Now I have to admit, that's pretty fancy" she said.

"Aye, it is pretty swish" Jago admitted, popping the cap off of another beer with his teeth. "Mine's not quite that fancy but I hope that it'll be good".

"Same here" Hild said. "In fact, that's the other reason I came here; I wanted to give them this…" She reached down between her miniaturised cleavage and pulled out a small card of opaque plastic, inscribed with various runes. "Could I trust you to give this to them?" she asked.

"What is it?" Jago asked, taking the tiny card.

"It's a lifetime Hell exclusion card" said Hild. "Basically, whoever possess it gets permanent exclusion from all demonic activities".

"Now that IS swish" Jago said. "But why would you give them something like that? I thought you wanted to get rid of the goddesses on Earth?"

"Oh, you have no idea how much I want that! But I've realised that there's no practical way that I can get rid of them without causing more problems for Hell than it's worth… especially since if anything happened to Lind in the process, you would probably hunt me down with that Khukuri of yours". Jago grinned.

"Aye… works on zombies, vampires, burglars, home invaders, Nazis, terrorists and anything else that fears dismemberment via very large knife. So I'm guessing that means that you won't be trying anything foolish any time soon?"

"Yep. They may be a problem. But getting rid of them is now more trouble than it would be worth".

"You could just wait until I die and then get rid of them".

"I can't… as Paladin, you were given near immortality. I couldn't outlast you if I wanted too! And now, Keiichi has that too. No, I'm just going to have to live with it. Oh, I'll still be around now and then to cause mischief but never anything serious. And that reminds me; this is for you". She pulled a second item from her cleavage and handed it to Jago. It was a jar, half filled with what looked like a milky-grey liquid that floated randomly around the inside of the jar.

"This is for me?" Jago asked, confused. "What is it?"

"It's what's known as borrowed time. You know like the old saying "living on borrowed time"? Well, this is the real stuff. It's also just about the most valuable stuff in all of existence so don't go spending it all on sweets".

"But what exactly is it?" he held the jar up to the light and inspected the contents which suddenly shimmered a rainbow pattern of hues before turning to grey again.

"It's a tradable commodity. If you ever REALLY need something, this will probably be more than enough for you to get whatever you want. Even a soul, so long as it's not too pure". Jago cocked his head and then smiled.

"Well thank you. I can't yet see any point at which I'm gonna need this but I still thank you. This may yet come in handy". With that, he stowed the jar in his pocket and then turned back to Hild. "Well now that's done, can I get you a drink. I know you're probably on a busy schedule but-"

"I'm sorry, I can't drink during business hours. Maybe some other time". She then hovered closer to Jago and positioned herself right next to his face. "Now you take care now Lord Paladin. And try to stay out of mischief!" She then leaned forward and kissed Jago on the cheek as a shout went up from the crowd as Belldandy finally threw her bouquet. With that, mini-Hild popped out of existence, just as some of the others started making their way over to them.

"Was that Hild?" Belldandy asked as they approached. "What was she doing here?"

"She came to give you this" Jago said, holding out the card. "Apparently she's decided to let you be and this is a token of her esteem towards you". Belldandy took the card and inspected it.

"Is this-?"

"Yes. Apparently getting rid of you is more trouble than it's worth but she couldn't hang around to give it you in person due to Valkyries so she asked me to give it to you instead". Belldandy nodded and smiled but Lind frowned.

"Are you sure that we can trust her on this? What if she's put a curse on the card?" Jago shrugged.

"Then I'll beat the living crap out of her for disturbing the peace. It's one of the perks of being the Paladin. Anyway, you may not trust her but I do… more fool me I suppose but there you go". Lind frowned but didn't say any more whereas both Belldandy and Keiichi smiled.

"Well I think it was very gracious of her" Belldandy said. "I hope that now she might be inclined to come and visit at some point". At this point, Keiichi frowned but he too stayed silent as Jago cleared his throat.

"While we're on the subject, I would like to show you my gift to you from me".

"But you didn't need to give us anything! You made our rings, that's more than enough!" But Jago simply shook his head.

"Just wait and see" he said. "Now, would you mind handing me the rings?" The pair looked confused as Jago took the thin white-gold circlets from them and laid them in his palm. "Now watch this" he said and then whispered something into his palm. The inside of each ring began to glow as tiny runes appeared on the inner surfaces of both and then suddenly, they gave a little flash and… a pair of holes appeared in Jago's hand, just where the rings were lying, with one showing the ground and the other showing the sky. But then he raised the pair of them and showed them what was actually there; if you looked through one rings, you could see whatever would be visible through the hole of the _other_ ring.

"What the?" Keiichi said as Jago handed back the rings.

"A miniature space bridge, located within the centre of each ring. Not large enough for anything to pass through but just enough so that you can see whoever is holding the other ring. And also speak to them. It's not much but I thought that this way, you two will always be together, no matter how far you are apart". He grinned sheepishly. "I guess that it's kinda clichéd and a little superfluous now that you have the card but-" He was stopped suddenly as Belldandy pulled him into a tight hug.

"You couldn't be more wrong Jago! This is the kindest thing that anyone could have done for us" Thank you!" Jago smiled but then coughed awkwardly.

"Alright Bell, you can let me go now" he said and Belldandy backed away sheepishly.

"Sorry" she said. "But thank you".

"It's alright" Jago said. "Oh, but you'd probably be wanting the password to turn the rings on and off. At the moment, it's on the default setting but you can reset it by checking the inside of the band. For now though, the activation word is "sandwiches".

"Sandwiches?" Keiichi asked with a chuckle.

"I don't pick the passwords" Jago said. "But like I said, it should be fairly easy to reset them". He chuckled. "Now go on lovebirds" he said. "You've got everyone else to see too before you go". The couple bowed and left, hand in hand, leaving Jago alone with Lind.

"I have to say Jago, that was probably one of the better ideas that you've had".

"Better than the bicycle powered car?"

"Considerably better".

"Well there in for a shock when they get to their hotel. Lamb and Damascus insisted that they go together on a present and it's going to be waiting for them when they arrive".

"What kind of present?" Lind asked to which Jago shrugged.

"Pocket karma-sutra". Lind went florescent red.

"They didn't!" she squeaked.

"They did" Jago said. "And don't look at me like that, it was their decision, not mine and they had already gone out and sorted it before I could stop them. Now I guess that we just- DUCK!" His hand shot up and caught something that was flying through the air towards them. It was only when he brought his hand down that he saw what it was; Belldandy's garter. "Oh bloody Hell" he swore. "Looks like I'm getting married next then! So who caught the bouquet?" Lind blushed and… pulled the bouquet out of thin air.

"Guess" she said.

"Oh bloody Hell… looks like we're stuck together then!" Jago said and the pair snorted as he slipped the band up her leg.

"Who says I'll have you?" Lind said. "But then again, I suppose that if you ever get round to proposing, I guess I would just have to say yes!"

"Was that a proposition?" Jago asked.

"Why yes… I guess that it was". And with that, they sealed the deal with a kiss.

8888

Bob sighed as he stuffed his bag with the last few items of clothing from his room. It was just after the end of the party, Keiichi and Belldandy were gone now and so, he and Chrono who had been in attendance, needed to return to Heaven. First though, Bob had wanted to collect a few things from his room. And it was while collecting his last few possessions that he opened the wardrobe. And from the wardrobe came a scream.

"AH! CLOSE THE DOOR!" Damascus shouted and slammed the door shut, almost catching Bob's fingers. He paused, confused and tapped on the door.

"Damascus?"

"Bugger off!" she hissed. "I'm not here! Especially if Cool Mint is asking!" Bob paused and sighed before pulling the door open once more.

"Get out of there!" he said grasping the taller devil by her shoulder and pulling her out.

"NO! SHE'LL RAVISH ME!" the devil said, struggling to resist Bob's grip.

"Who? Cool Mint?" Bob asked confused. "Why would she want to do that?"

"No time to explain! Now in the name of all that is sacred and holy, let me go!" Bob sighed and stopped pulling for a second.

"Look Damascus, you can't hide in my wardrobe forever you know".

"I can try!" she said, struggling.

"No you really can't" Bob said. "Now if-" Suddenly the door burst open and Bob let go of Damascus who shot forward and dived for cover in the wardrobe as Cool Mint poked her head into the room.

"Oh, hi Bob" she said cheerfully. "You haven't seen-"

"She's not here" Bob said, not bothering to let her finish.

"Oh. Well if you see her, let me know". With that, she pulled the door closed behind her, leaving Bob to turn and face the cupboard.

"It's alright Damascus, you can come out now". Damascus cautiously poked her head out of the cupboard.

"Is she gone?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's gone" Bob said. "But YOU aren't going anywhere until you tell me exactly why Cool Mint is looking for you".

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"So what you're saying is that Cool Mint has had a crush on you for a while but it has only been since the incident with Gandamak that she's really started to act on it?" Damascus nodded and sighed.

"Yep, that's pretty much what it amounts to" she said. "So why would she start acting like this now? It's not like anything has really changed between us as far as I can tell. So-"

"Well have you tried talking to her?" Bob asked. Damascus looked at him as if he had gone mad.

"Are you kidding? She tried to _kiss_ me last time I went near her! It's been all I can do to avoid her since then!" Bob nodded and then rested his chin on his hand.

"Would you mind if I ask you something? Well I know that Jago loves Lind as well as Cool Mint and Spear Mint. So what about you and Lamb? I thought that you would love them too, being sort of like Jago's soul and all". Damascus pursed her lips and frowned.

"Well technically speaking yes, I'm now part of Jago's soul. However, there is something you should know; most goddesses have their angels… or devils, since the equivalent age of about ten to sixteen, which gives them time to fully develop the same preferences and personalities. Jago however has only had us for a few months and both Lamb and I had previous Mistresses, each with her own memories and experiences. It was easier to adapt to the situation than it was for me because of her lost memories, which have allowed her to fully integrate with Jago. I on the other hand… I still have most of my past memories and as such, I haven't achieved such a close match as she has. It will still take some time before we fully integrate and while I am slowly picking up bits and pieces of Jago's personality, I'm still not quite there yet. And that means that while I do care for Lind and her angels, I don't necessarily LOVE them like he does. At least not yet. Lamb on the other hand…" She scoffed and fluttered her bat-like wings. "She and Spear Mint are at it almost as much as Jago and Lind are! She's fully integrated you see and she shares almost every part of Jago's personality. Apparently it doesn't hurt that they also occasionally swop partners so Jago with Spear Mint and Lamb with Lind". She paused and flushed deep red. "And why am I even telling you this? You're Master's brother! You don't need to know about his and Lind's love life!" Bob snorted.

"You really are a prude aren't you Damascus? I already know all about that stuff… although not about the problems with you meshing with Jago. And before you ask me how I know, Jago told me. It's a big brother's job to screw with his little brother's head so that's what he does. Metaphorically speaking".

"Well that may be so and I may be a prude but that doesn't help me in the slightest when it comes to dealing with Cool Mint. So I ask you and I can't believe I'm about to say this; what do I do? How do I get her to stop pestering me?" Bob shrugged.

"Well I told you that" Bob said. "You need to talk to her. Because the way I see it, she's lonely and she may have come to some sort of realisation about mortality while facing Jupiter… or some other crap like that. Whatever it is, I suggest that you get it over with now or you'll just end up having to hide in the wardrobe again". He stood and hefted his bag, swinging it across his shoulder. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help" he said, "but I need to get back to Heaven now. Just… remember what I said and hope for the best ok?" With that, he stood and left the room, leaving Damascus alone with her thoughts. Finally, she made up her mind; she WOULD do what Bob had said and she WOULD talk to Cool Mint. Hiding was not the behaviour that was expected of a Nightmare and as such, she would face her enemy head-on. And all the time, she would wish for a chastity belt.

"Oh man" she moaned to herself. "I'm gonna get raped!" And with that, she set out in search of Cool Mint.

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Cool Mint was in the kitchen, making toast when Damascus found her. Technically, since the bug that had weakened their powers on Earth had been removed via Tam's efforts to restore Yggdrasil, the angels were no longer required to eat, with the exception of the two Archs, as there was no way Jago could eat enough for the three of them on his own. It was also no longer necessary for them to constantly present as they were no longer magically linked to Lamb. However, it had felt lonely without them, so for now at least, most of the angels were out all of the time. The exception was Weth's Solar Radiance who she seemed reluctant to bring out, although nobody understood why. Now however, it was just Damascus and Cool Mint. Alone. And Damascus gulped. Cool Mint, a piece of toast in her mouth , turned at the small sound and then her face brightened upon spotting Damascus.

"Damascus!" she said, swallowing her toast and smiling. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" Damascus nodded and sighed.

"I know. I've been hiding from you" she paused, not sure whether she should continue. No, she had to do this. "Look Cool Mint, I need to talk to you" the devil said. "Can we have a chat in the sitting room?" Cool Mint nodded and followed curiously, wondering what it could possibly be that Damascus could want to say to her. They both took a seat on the sofa and turned to face each other.

"So what's up Damascus?" Cool Mint asked. "You seem tense". Damascus sighed again.

"Look Cool Mint, I need to talk to you about how you've been acting towards me since we got back from Jötunnheim". Cool Mint smiled and shuffled closer to Damascus.

"Don't tell me you've finally started to warm up to me?" she said as she shuffled up. "I mean, I know you know that you're my type but I didn't know that I was yours!" To emphasise the fact, she dropped her human disguise and spreading her single, right-hand wing, she leaned forward, wiggling her cleavage seductively at Damascus. All that Damascus could do in response was blush and face-palm.

"Oh dear god no" she said softly to herself. "Look Cool Mint, I really need to talk to you about this but I can't do so while you're trying to seduce me. Just… hold fire for five minutes, ok?" Cool Mint pouted but nodded, sitting back and absently adjusting her wrap.

"Alright, if I must" the angel said dejectedly. "So what's on your mind?"

"Well… I need to know WHY you've been acting like this recently. I know that you like me but-"

"It was because of that memory that we saw when we went after Master Jago's ID. That one where we talked about you having trouble accepting him as your Master".

"What about it?"

"Well… I hadn't ever told anybody about my liking you. Not even my Mistress. And to have it suddenly revealed to everybody like the... So I took a leaf out of Jago's book and sought refuge in audacity. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you if that's what has happened". Damascus looked confused by Cool Mint's statement and cocked her head to one side.

"What are you saying? It was an act of some kind?" Cool Mint wiggled her hand in a so-so gesture.

"Partly" she said. "I really do like you but normally I wouldn't act like this. Partly though, I think it was jealousy".

"Jealousy?" Damascus said. "Now I'm really confused". Cool Mint sighed.

"Look, Jago has Lind and Lamb and Spear Mint are together most nights. But who have I got? I'm the lonely second angel". She pause and then chuckled. "Or to put it another way, you could say that I was _the other woman_".

"Well how do you think I feel?" Damascus said. "At least you had Jago during his exile! But me… well, as you said, I'm a prude. It's not like I ever stick around for…" She paused, blushing and cleared her throat. "Anyway, my previous Mistress never had much luck with lovers before and so, I was never involved in any kind of er… romantic relationship". Cool Mint chuckled.

"Are you saying, that possibly the most infamous of all Archdevils, feared throughout the ranks of gods and demons the word over, is a _virgin_!?" If Damascus had thought she couldn't possibly get any more red, she was wrong but she nodded and fluttered her wings to hide her embarrassment.

"Well if you want to put it like that-" the devil said but was cut off as Cool Mint kissed her. There was a moment of impassioned struggle as Damascus tried to escape the smaller angel's grip but unlike Lamb, she was no fighter and was unable to escape Cool Mint's grip as she was pushed to the sofa. She gasped for breath as Cool Mint finally sat up. But before she could say anything, Damascus slapped her. "GET OFF ME!" she snarled, her fangs gleaming. "WHAT THE HELL THINKS YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO-" But she stopped herself. For Cool Mint was crying. The smaller angel retreated to the far end of the sofa and had started to curl up, knees to chest. Confused, Damascus sat up. "What? I didn't hit you that hard" she said. But Cool Mint shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that" she said. She sobbed a little then turned to Damascus. "I really am sorry. I keep fucking up don't I?" Damascus shuffled her wings awkwardly and slowly slid along the sofa towards the weeping angel.

"But Cool Mint, all you did was kiss me. I mean, you took me a little by surprise but-"

"It's not just that!" the angel said. "I KEEP fucking up! Twice I did it to Jago and now, I've fucked up with you!" She stood suddenly and still weeping fierce tears, she thumped the wall with her left fist. There was a deep doom and when she retracted her hand, she had left fist shaped hold in the sold granite, over three inches deep and with the surrounding stone crushed into impact quartz. "Why do I keep doing this?" she asked herself. "Why do I have to be so impulsive?" Damascus shuffled awkwardly and came to stand behind Cool Mint, laying a hand on her shoulder. She wasn't used to this whole "comforting" thing but she had to try.

"Look Cool Mint, I'm not sure what I can say but you're a good person and-"

"Don't try and patronise me Nightmare!" Cool Mint hissed, using Damascus's former name. "You know as well as I do that I'm a screw up! The second child of a twin pair, who for years has had to live within her Mistress, unable to be summoned! I've only been able to experience this world for a few years now and to honest, I have the same problem as you; as the second angel and coming later than Spear Mint, I haven't fully meshed with Lind, even though we've been together for years! And it's caused more problems in the last few months than are worth mentioning!" And she turned to Damascus, her tear stained face red with indignation. "And I'm lonely! Everybody has somebody here! Even Lamb, that _flutterbird,_ if you would pardon my language! She had Master first, although they were never romantic and now she has my sister Spear Mint! The only ones who have ever loved me were Lind, as my Mistress and Jago. And I can't help but feel that I was only there for him to drown his sorrows after he exiled himself from Lamb! And now it seems that he would never be mine again!" Damascus gave an exasperated sigh as Cool Mint launched into the next part of her rant.

"I fucked up his childhood because of a stupid decision with a cake and when I could have helped to save that man… Covac, I left him to die! And Jago must surely blame me for it!" She then broke down once more and hugged Damascus tightly, nearly crushing the taller devil. "And now I fucked up with you too! Why do I keep doing this?" There was a moment's pause and then Damascus hugged Cool Mint back, running a hand through the angel's beautiful blond hair.

"Oh little one" she said, almost tenderly. "Why didn't you say something?" Cool mint looked up into Damascus's deep purple eyes, looking confused. "Cool Mint, you seem to have confused yourself. Jago doesn't blame you for anything; you made him into the man he is today and if you hadn't interfered when you did then he never would have met Lamb. Or Lind. Or me or you or any of our friends. SO DON'T YOU DARE EVER START BALMING YOURSELF!" She shouted this last bit for emphasis. And then she leaned down and with a growl, she kissed Cool Mint. The little angel's eyes went wide and her single wing beat so rapidly that she almost took off.

"Wah-" she gasped when Damascus finally released her.

"And that was to remind you that you're not alone Cool Mint. I'm as lonely as you are. I just didn't know that you had the same problem as I did". Cool Mint was blank for a second but then she smiled.

"Oh Damascus" she said.

"Aye. Now then, since we have that sorted out, I want to lay out some ground rules. One; you don't try anything in public. You may have my sympathy but it doesn't mean I like you. However, I will say that I WILL look after you at least until you find someone who you actually like and love, so long as you do the same for me. Secondly; just because I kissed you, don't get any funny ideas about our relationship. We are never going to be more than friends, ok? I have no intention of making you or anybody else my lover. Finally; if you ever call me Nightmare again, I will go Prime and swallow you on the spot. Got it?" Cool Mint nodded sadly.

"Got it".

"Good" said Damascus. And then Cool Mint flinched as she felt something snaking up her leg, looking down to see… a tail snaking up her thigh. She looked up at Damascus as the devil grinned. "Yes, I have a tail in my normal form too. It's just that it only appears when I'm horny". Cool Mint blushed.

"H-horny?" she stuttered, suddenly worried. She thought she was supposed to be the pushy one. "But I thought you said that-"

"I never said anything about friends with benefits" the devil said. She kissed Cool Mint again, more gently this time and then leaned back with a frown. "But if you dare tell Lamb, I'll give you such a pinch!"

"Why?"

"Well she's likely to die laughing! A prude like me? Getting laid? I'd never live it down!" Cool Mint smiled.

"Sounds like a plan to me". She then paused. "Bob's room? It's empty now".

"Why not just the sofa? Everyone else has already turned in for the night". Cool Mint paused and then nodded.

"I like the sound of this plan!" GLOMP!

"AH! NO! DON'T NIBBLE MY TAIL! WAIT! WHO TOLD YOU TO STO? KEEP NIBBLEING!"

"Keep it down!" Cool Mint said with a chuckle. "And make up your mind!"

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Jago sighed and picked up the ringing phone from beside the bed.

"Again?" Lind asked with a groan as Jago answered the call.

"'Fraid so" Jago said. "Hello?... Yes?... All right, I'll be there in ten minutes". He clicked off the phone and turned to Lind again. "Gotta go lass" he said. Lind nodded sadly.

"I understand. You're the Paladin and it's your job. I just wish that the monsters would choose some other time than the middle of the night to go rampaging. So what've you got this time?"

"A bunyip, a kind of hairy Australian water-dragon. Apparently, there's one on the loose in one of the billabongs and it's been attacking locals so they want me to go and put it out of action. I'll take Weth, she could use some excitement I think… besides, I wanna see her fight a little so we know where she can improve".

"Alright" Lind said. "Just be back soon. It gets cold alone". Jago nodded and then paused.

"You haven't seen Damascus have you? I haven't seen her since we got back from the party". Lind shrugged.

"She's started camping on the sofa to get away from Cool Mint. Remind me that I need to talk to that angel of mine; she's getting so amorous, she could very well eat Damascus alive. Then again, perhaps you could talk to her? I know she hasn't been getting much love lately and she could just be horny".

"That might not be such a good idea" Jago said. "Seeing so many beautiful, naked women all at once is bad for my heart".

"I'm not sure where that was a complaint or a compliment" Lind commented dryly.

"You can take it however you want. Either way, I'll see you later". He stood, buttoning his jacket and kissed Lind before turning and heading out of the door, followed by Lamb who had materialised behind him. And they walked in on a series of giggles and moans as Damascus's wings showed above the edge of the sofa, beating frantically. Jago cleared his throat and Damascus's head shot up and she quickly covered her bare chest when she realised who was there.

"Master, Lamb, what're you doing here?"

"We just got a call; we've got a bunyip to deal with. So get dressed, we're moving out in ten minutes". Then someone giggled and Jago cocked his head. "Is there someone on the sofa with you?" he asked. Damascus blushed.

"No Master!" she said, blushing furiously.

"Don't lie to me" Jago said as something shift beneath the devil. "Look, I know you like your privacy but you have to tell me if you're going to be bringing back strange men".

"MASTER!" Damascus said as Lamb started chuckleing.

"She hasn't brought anyone strange back" said the other voice. "It's just me!" With that, Cool mint sat up, looking bright eyed and beruffled.

"I thought I told you to stay hidden the devil hissed to her lover as the little angel covered her own naked chest with an arm. Jago sighed as Lamb continued to chuckle.

"_Well it looks like you've been caught with your knickers down_!" Lamb mentally sent to Damascus who just blushed.

"Alright" Jago said. "Make it twenty minutes". With that, he went back into the bedroom, pulling a protesting Damascus behind him. Damascus growled at Cool Mint.

"You little snake! I thought I said to keep this a secret! I should tie you up and let you have it with the hairbrush!"

"Oh yes please!" Cool Mint squeaked.

"You really are too kinky to punish aren't you?" The devil said with a sigh. Then she paused. "Is twenty minutes really long enough?" she asked.

"Well let's find out!" Cool Mint said, pulling the devil back down.

"NO! NOT THE TAIL AGAI- oh, that's gooooood!"

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Weth returned to her room at the temple utterly exhausted. It was actually so late it was getting early and she was soaked to the skin with swamp water and bunyip juice. She pulled off her armour and her tunic, revealing her grey one-piece that she wore under her usual gear. If Valkyries had few possessions then Praetorians had fewer; the sword that Jago had given her and her one piece. It was as much a part of her as her as her hair… or her angel. Solar Radiance. Her poor, mutilated, beautiful girl. But suffering was necessary, especially as the apprentice of the most powerful god in all of Heaven! But for now, she was exhausted. Bunyips were horrifying monsters that lived in swamps, resembling a brown haired, potbellied dragon with enlarged nostrils that is used to shoot steam so hot, that it could melt flesh right off the bone. Luckily, as it turned out, they were relatively easy to kill. The problem was that Jago had used thi test of her strength, telling her to deal with it as well as she could, leaving her utterly exhausted. And he had only graded her a six out of ten!

"I've need to rethink my career" she said, collapsing onto her futon. "Be an apprentice fighter to either of them is just too stressful!"

"I hope you're not talking about me". With a start, Weth leapt to her feet, turning rapidly to see Lord Deaderuss stood in the corner, his arms folded.

"My Lord!" she said, dropping to her knees and bowing her head. "I didn't see you there!" Deaderuss snorted.

"No Weth, I doubt you did. You have always been lacking when it comes to observation; it has always been your greatest fault. That and your general incompetence". Weth remained silent as Deaderuss gave her a cool stare.

"If I might be so bold my Lord, why have you come to Earth? If you are detected-"

"I have concealed my magic using a dampener so that even Heimdall couldn't detect me if he tried. As to why I'm here, I wanted to check in you personally Weth and see what has happened while you've been gone. So tell me my apprentice, what have you discovered? Have you made any progress in getting to the Paladin?" Weth raised her head and paused.

"A little my Lord. Belldandy and the other human, Morisato, they've left for their honeymoon and won't be back for two weeks. Oh and one of the Archs, the devil… she has become romantically involved with one of Lind's angels. That's all I'm afraid. Although if I might say so my Lord, I find my work here rather demeaning. The Paladin seems to think that I would enjoy working for him in his forge-"

"And do you?" Deaderuss asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes my Lord" Weth said sheepishly. "Even though I have to work with the Almighty's youngest daughter". Deaderuss snorted and then considered what Weth had told him.

"Very well. Nothing of real interest but then again, I didn't think you would find anything. There is however something that you CAN do for me". With a snap of his fingers, Deaderuss summoned an envelope that dropped to the floor in front of Weth. "These are tickets for a beachside hot spring. As I understand it, they are a popular tourist attraction for humans in this part of the world. Once Belldandy and Mr Morisato have returned from their little trip and have been back a sufficient amount of time, you are to present them. I suggest that you construct some convincing lie as to why you have them… I'll leave that up to you. Anyway, once you have lead them to the hot springs, I will personally lead a group of Praetorians to dispatch the Paladin and Captain Lind. But I want YOU to kill Twoarchs personally. And if you fail me again, I will not hesitate to kill you on the spot. Are my orders understood?" Weth nodded.

"Clear my Lord".

"Good" said Deaderuss. "Now I must be away. I'll be sending a messenger every few days so as to ensure that everything is proceeding according to plan. I will see you shortly then. Oh and Weth? Don't let me down". With that, Deaderuss disappeared, using his unique transport medium; concentrated darkness. Weth sighed and unfolded herself from her crouch.

"Very well, if that is the plan then I shall go through with it" she said to herself. "I will not fail my Master again".

"_But Mistress" _said Solar Radiance,_ "is this what you really want? If Deaderuss really does dispose the Almighty as he plans, then it may be worse off for us. Perhaps it would be better to ally ourselves with the Paladin and join him rather than face the wrath of Deaderuss?"_

_"Silence angel!" _snapped Weth. "_I did not ask your opinion on this! Now speak again and I will make you suffer just as Master Deaderuss does!" _

_"Very well Mistress, if that is what you wish"._ With that, Solar Radiance's voice faded away and Weth was left alone.

"Of course this is what I want!" she growled to herself. "When Deaderuss is the Almighty One, I will be the most powerful apprentice in all of Heaven! It's what I've always wanted! I'll be the head of the Praetorians at the very least!" But then she paused. "At least, that's what I think I want… isn't it?"

"_Well that's for you to decide Mistress"._

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"Oh Jago! Where did you learn to do that? This is heavenly!" Lind gave a little moan of pleasure as Jago dug his thumbs into her back _just right_, letting the combination of his massaging grip and the warmth of the hot springs cut slowly through the tense muscles of her shoulders and back.

"Bloody Hell lass, how are you still standing?" Jago said, as he worked slowly down her back and shoulders. "You've got more tension back here than your average suspension bridge!" Lind gave another little gasp and a sigh as Jago's hands continued to work lower, gently relieving years of strain from her muscles.

"You're hands are magical!" she said quietly. "But where did you learn to do this? And don't say "don't ask" or something along those lines, I am genuinely interested in where you learned this. You're not a masseuse in your spare time are you?"

"You two are so gross! Doing stuff like that in public!" Lind turned and scowled at Skuld from across the pool.

"If it really bothers you that much, you should have gone the women only side, rather than co-ed".

"Well I think it's wonderful that Jago can do something like that" Belldandy said. "I think you'll have to teach Keiichi how to do that". Keiichi, sitting beside her blushed a little but Jago just smiled.

"It's not that difficult; my taught me. And no, he wasn't a masseuse, he was a soldier. Where he learnt it, I don't know but if you really want Keiichi to learn how to do it…"

"Well you can get some practice on me if you'd like" said Urd, sipping her sake and smiling mischievously.

"Urd…" Belldandy said sourly to which her older sister just laughed.

"Oh come on, I was just kidding! Besides, I'm sure Jago would be happy to give me a go". She gave a Jago a cheeky wink and he returned it.

"No worries. I charge fifty bucks an hour with complementary manicure and pedicure". They both chuckled while Lind and Skuld both gave him a dirty look. For different reasons though. Urd then paused and looked across at her middle sister, giving a small smile.

"Then again, it won't be the worst thing that you've done recently". And while neither of her sisters or Keiichi heard her, both Lind and Jago did and they shared a brief squick as they remembered the horrors of THAT video…

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Urd had called them both to the tearoom a couple of days after the newlyweds had disappeared off on their honeymoon and they had arrived, utterly bewildered.

"Hey Urd, you wanted us?" Lind said, as they arrived. It was then that they realised that they weren't alone in the room; not only was Urd there but so was World of Elegance, sitting cross legged behind the table. More to the point though, both Peorth and Gorgeous Rose were present.

"Oh there you two are!" Urd said cheerfully. "I just got this great new video and I thought that we could all watch it together. So why not call grab a seat and come and join us? Oh and why not bring out your angels? I know it'll be a little crowded but-"

"Hold your horses" Jago said. "There's something funny going on here. You would never have brought Peorth here if it was just to watch a film…" He paused and then turned to the rose-goddess. "Sorry, I forgot to say hello. Hello Peorth, Gorgeous Rose, how are you?"

"We're very well thank you" Peorth said. "Although I'm gonna need you to sign a form for me saying that I'm here on official Paladin business so that I don't get into trouble with my superiors". Jago snorted.

"I suppose I can do that" he said. "And I've just realised what's going on here; you've just been to Australia and have been filming Keiichi and Bell, haven't you?" Urd nodded, completely unashamed.

"Yep" she said.

"It's a sex tape isn't it? Keiichi and Bell?" Urd feigned mock surprise.

"What? Do you honestly think I'm the kind of woman who'd make videos of her sister and husband having sex and then show them to rest of her friends and family?" There was unanimous "YES!" "Very good" she said. "How did you know?"

"There aren't many things that bring Peorth down from Heaven but seeing Belldandy and Keiichi together was probably one of them". Peorth snorted.

"Looks like this guy's sharper than he looks. You had better watch your back Lind!"

"I'm not sure I want to see this" Lind said distastefully. But then she remembered Belldandy and the camera and… the photos of her and Jago. In fact, now that she thought about it, she still owed Belldandy a slap. But maybe blackmail would be better. "On second thought, I'm in". She sat down and her angels appeared behind her as Jago took his seat next to her.

"Well this should be good" he said. "You think they had chance to read the karma-sutra we gave them?"

"I'm not sure I want to find out" said Damascus as she settled down to watch but then gave a little squeak as Cool Mint wrapped herself around the devil. "Get off!" she hissed. "Maybe later!" Cool Mint nodded but didn't release her, just continued to hug her around the middle.

"Well then, is everyone sitting comfortably?" Urd asked. Nods. "Good then let us begin". With that, she pushed the video into the player and the film began. It started out fairly basic; some talking, then kissing and it went from there. Except it wasn't quite what they expected. Within five minutes, all heads suddenly tilted sideways as it got… kinky.

"Is that her…?" Lind asked, unable to finish.

"I think so" Jago said. "But is that his…?"

"You'd better believe it!" said Urd. And it just got worse from there. After another ten minutes, Jago lay down and rolled over onto his back.

"What are you doing?" Gorgeous Rose asked.

"Seeing whether this position helps me to understand what's going on, on the screen a little better".

"And does it?"

"Would it be worrying to say yes?" The angel paused and then tried it herself, holding her wings out to the sides as she rolled over onto her back. And she blushed.

"Well bugger me sideways" she said. "So _that's_ how they did that. Mistress, I think we need to take notes!"

"Way ahead of you" said Peorth, as she filled her third notebook. "And I thought that _I_ was kinky!" It was downhill from there. Urd and Peorth were probably the two most hentai goddesses in existence but even they felt their stomachs churn at the sight of Belldandy and Keiichi together. By half-an-hour, it was getting really good. It was also at this point that Skuld walked in.

"Hey guys, I was just gonna watch some TV" she said. And then she saw what was on the screen. If anybody had actually been looking at her, they would have seen her face give a little twitch and then steam come out of her ears as her brain suffered an incurable mental breakdown. She collapsed and groaned. "Oh my god! Big Sis… and Keiichi… and… that BARBED WIRE!" She gave another little squeak and then slowly crawled away, looking for either some brain bleach, in order to remove the last thirty seconds from her memory. Or failing that, Jago's shotgun so she could blow her brains all over the wall. In the meantime, it had just got REALLY hot and steamy.

"Holybell, appear before me!" Belldandy had said and her angel had appeared on the screen.

"Oh dear" was all that was said by the watchers. Nobody was sure who said it.

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An hour and a half later, the film ended. Everyone who had watched it just sat there with open mouths, too stunned to speak. In the end, it was Jago who spoke.

"Well… that's put me right off my food" he said. Lamb gave a little shudder.

"When Holybell became a man… and those EELS!"

"I thought I was an expert in carnal maters" Peorth said slowly. "But I might need to ask for tips". She then paused and smiled at Jago. "Perhaps you and Lind should try some of that stuff. You know, the part between that thing with the ginger beer and that bit with the rubber face mask and the whips". Jago turned very slowly to look at Lind who seemed to have gone into a mental breakdown and then turned back to Peorth.

"Are you kidding me? _MINE'S ATTACHED_!" He then paused and looked around the room. "Has anyone seen Damascus?"

"Oh she said something about going outside to scream" said World of Elegance casually. "SO who wants to watch the rest?"

"There's more?" Spear Mint asked, looking horrified.

"Well of course" said Urd. "That was just the first one! There's another seven already!"

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Lind and Jago both gave an involuntary as they both tried to forget what they had seen. Skuld had been lucky; she had been able to invent brain bleach and so had been able to forget the little bit she had seen. Unfortunately, she had then forgotten the recipe and now, they were all stuck with those awful, AWFUL memories. Still, they were now alright and were free to enjoy the host springs.

"I have to say, it was kind of Weth to share those tickets she won with us" Belldandy said. "I know that she was Lord Deaderuss's apprentice but I think she might finally have begun to warm up to us".

"I hope so" Jago said, kneading a particularly tight muscle in Lind's back. "She's such a sad girl. I just hope that she can forgive me for her having lost her job as a Praetorian".

"Oh come on Jago" Lind said. "She asked YOU to be your apprentice. Isn't that enough proof of forgiveness?"

"I guess you're right" Jago said. "I'm just wondering what she's doing".

"That's a point" Keiichi said. "Where is Weth? Isn't she joining us?"

"She said something about organising something for the evening" Urd said. "She wants to meet us on the beach as soon as it gets dark. Apparently she has a surprise for us".

"What kind of surprise?"

"She wouldn't say. All I know is she said not to be late".

"Well in that case, I'll bring beer" Jago said. "I mean, what isn't good without beer?"

"My thoughts exactly" said Urd. "Maybe we'll get a party out of this after all!"

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"Have you got enough beer?" Cool Mint asked as she and Jago prepared to head off to join the party. Everyone except Keiichi and Belldandy had already gone on ahead, to set up. It had been privately agreed that the newlyweds would be left to their own devices and could join them later if they so chose to do so. So now it was Jago and Cool Mint, each with a crate of beer in hand, walking together down to the beach.

"I think so" Jago said. "This is good stuff too. None of that American stuff… ice-cold gnat piss it should be called. No, this is the good stuff, imported special from the UK". He then paused. "Can you smell something?" he asked. "I know it's a daft thing to ask but…"

"Smell? No, I can't smell anything" the angel said, hefting her crate. "Now let's go and leave the lovebirds in peace. The others must be parched".

"I like your thinking!" Jago said, lifting his own crate as they set off. But they failed to see them. The dark shadows. Deaderuss's first strike.

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"I see she's got a fire going" Lamb said excitedly. "Maybe it's a barbecue?" The little group chatted amongst themselves as they headed towards the beach, all trying to work out exactly what was Weth was planning. As they approached the sand, they spotted the goddess in question. They were all smiling as they called out to her. But slowly the smiles faded.

"Greetings too all of you" Weth said, her head hanging.

"What's up Weth? Why did you call us here? And why are you dressed like that?" Lind waved her hand in Weth's direction, indicating the Praetorian's uniform. For uniform it was; the full fig gear of a Praetorian guard. And then they saw the tears rolling down the parts of her face that weren't covered by her helmet.

"Weth?" Lamb said slowly. The girl raised her head.

"I'm sorry. I should never have formed an attachment to you. Especially you Lamb. You were kind to me. But I have my orders. And now I must kill you all". And with a roar, Weth charged forward, summoning her claymore as she went and preparing to attack. Before she had taken ten steps though, Lind had summoned her own halberd and her human cloths had been swapped for her full Valkyrie uniform.

"What are you doing Weth? What is this madness?" she said, blocking Weth's attack.

"Weth is acting on my orders. And she will see them through. Her life depends on it". And out of the darkness, just beyond the edge of the fire's light, Deaderuss appeared.

"Deaderuss? What are you doing here?" And then she saw what lay beyond the High Lord. They were surrounded. By a hundred Praetorians.

"OH SHIT!" shouted Lamb. "AMBUSH!"

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"So how's it going between you and Damascus?" Jago asked. Cool Mint blushed a little but smiled as they walked.

"Pretty good I think. She's even more of a prude than Mistress is but I've discovered that when she gets horny, she grows a tail… and if I nibble it, I can drive almost to the edge without much trouble".

"Ok, that might have been a _little_ too much information" Jago said. "Still, if you and Damascus are happy then I'm happy and-" He stopped when he realized that Cool Mint had stopped several paces behind him and was stood frozen stiff. "Cool Mint? Are you ok?" He paused and setting down his crate, he snapped his fingers in front of her face. Cool Mint blinked and then looked at Jago. And then Jago realised that she was shaking, her eyes wide with terror.

"No, I'm not alright! In fact, I would go so far as to say WE'RE FUCKED!" She dropped the crate and grabbed Jago by the arm, trying to pull him away. "MASTER JAGO, WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"Why?" said Jago, suddenly serious. "What's wrong?" And there is was again; that smell. The scent of burnt tin, like the Angel-Eater but many times stronger. And mixed in with that, was the scent of rotten flesh and sour air. A scent of death and destruction. And then Cool Mint pointed skyward as four huge shapes started to descend with a snarling, chattering shriek.

"GLEANERS MASTER! SOMEONE HAS SENT THE DEATH GLEANERS!"

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"Get behind me!" Lind shouted to Skuld as Spear Mint erupted from her back. The Valkyrie took a step back and sliced at a charging Praetorian, driving the taller woman back. Urd let fly with a thunderbolt that knocked back several enemies and then swung her huge hammer overhand, sending another fighter reeling back.

"These Praetorians are nothing!" she shouted. "Why was I ever scared of them?" But then she gave a yelp as another Praetorian launched herself at her, only for Lamb to block the attack with her arm. The big angel gave a grunt as the Praetorian's axe cut deeply into her skin and white blood soaked her arm and her cloths but she simply gritted her teeth and sun, hauling the Praetorian off of her feet and stabbing her in the stomach with the huge buster-blade before chucking her back amongst the ranks of the Praetorians.

"Don't underestimate them!" she shouted and then spun, scything through the air and badly injuring three enemies. And then there was shout from Damascus;

"GET DOWN!" They all dropped as the Devil shot upward and let out an explosion of light. Anyone who had been on their feet, many crushed by the weight of the wall of energy. She dropped back down, panting and rolled her shoulders. "Orion Pulse" she said, indicating the blast to the rest of the group. "Been waiting for an excuse to use it".

"Nice one _hobgoblin"_ Lamb said with grudging respect. "But we're not out of the woods yet!" She stood, holding her blade at the ready as the first few Praetorians started to recover.

"Well I have to admit, that caught me by surprise". The little group was now back on their feet and they turned to see Deaderuss, standing alone among the ranks of his flattened legion. "You have put up quite a stern little fight for my Praetorians. It's a shame that the Paladin won't be here to see it".

"What do you want Deaderuss?" Lind demanded, preparing to fight once more. She had a deep gash down her side but there was fire burning in her eyes as she prepared to launch her next attack. "Why would you want to kill us? We're loyal to Heaven".

"Oh it's not you I want to kill" he said. And then he raised a hand, pointing straight at Lamb. "Just her. Or at least, that was the original plan. She should have died the first time around, when I sent Weth to deal; with her personally but she failed and that human then became involved. So I punished Weth and now, since you are all involved, I think I'll kill you all, just for the Hell of it".

"But why would you want to kill Lamb?" demanded Skuld, coming forward to stand beside Lind. "She's never done anything to you! So why would you want to kill her?" Deaderuss gave her a cool stare and then stepped forward. And he slapped her, knocking her from her feet.

"You have no authority to question me child!" he bellowed. "I will do as I wish and as that angel knows too much, she must die!" He then paused, realising that something was amiss. He turned slowly to see World of Elegance stood behind him, a blade of fire held in her hands and her eyes darkening with rage.

"How dare you touch our little sister, you traitorous scum! I would kill you myself if it weren't-" She was forced to stop. She was stopped by Lind. For the Valkyrie had begun to scream. She clutched at her chest, as if her heart was breaking and tears welled up in her eyes. She gasped for breath and fell to her knees, dropping her axe. And beside her, Spear Mint too collapsed. And as they both gave a final scream, a second wing burst forth, fully formed and feathered from the angel's back.

"LIND! LIND, WHAT'S WRONG?!" Lamb grasped the Valkyrie by the arm as she collapsed onto her back, weakly flapping. And then she pulled Lamb into a tight embrace as Damascus and Noble Scarlet tried to help Spear Mint. And she whispered to Lamb. She whispered a most horrible truth.

"Cool Mint… Cool Mint is dead!"

**Authors Note: HEY YOU GUYS! Another Archfall chapter, courtesy of your friend, The Mad Mancunian! I hope you like it since I thought I would end on a cliff-hanger. And yes, she really is dead! I have killed Cool Mint! How you ask? Well you'll just have to stay tuned and find out! **


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Traitors and Treachery**

It was Belldandy's fault. If she hadn't interfered at just that moment, then Cool Mint would never have died. Then again, if she hadn't then Jago would have died instead. And if he had died… well that would have been the end. And It was just as much Jago's. If he hadn't been so overconfident and sure of himself then NOBODY would have died. But he was and so, they faced the Gleaners. And they lost.

Death Gleaners. The Watchers. The Dark Guardians. Monstrous bats, four of the, each the size of a giraffe, with thirty foot wingspans and huge snouts that were covered in a foul green slime. They chittered and bayed like a pack of hyenas as they approached, snapping at each other as they came. And they stank. It was similar to that of the Angel-Eater; burnt tin and rotten meat. But many times worse. It was a smell that polluted the air and seemed to kill whatever it touched. For this was the stench of Death himself.

"HURRY MASTER! WE MUST FLY!" Cool Mint clutched at Jago's arm, trying to drag him away but he shook his head.

"It's too late for that; they'll be on us in seconds. No, we must stand and fight". He turned to face the nearest of the beasts as the creature lunged at him. He dodged and swung his right fist around in a great hay-making sweep, to crack hard into the Gleaner's head and send it sprawling. "I can take three of them. Can you get the forth?"

"LISTEN JAGO, THESE THINGS ARE EACH STRONGER THAN GANDAMAK! WE CAN'T FIGHT THEM!" But Jago ignored her.

"Trust me to be without my weapons at a time like this!" he said and then turned to face Cool Mint. "I'll take the three on the left if you can get the one on the right".

"Wait Jago!" They both turned to see Belldandy as she vaulted from the balcony of the first floor of the hotel and come racing over towards them. "You don't understand what you're facing! You can't fight them!" But still Jago ignored them.

"Three on four? Sounds like a fair fight!" And without another word, he launched himself at the bats. And with that, the trap was sprung.

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Jago tackled the lead Gleaner in the stomach and bore it to the ground, kicking it in the snout as he went. He didn't stop however, just raced onward and launched himself at the next beast and grabbed it by the head. The creature reared, lifting him high into the air and started to shake its head from side to side, snapping at him as he clung onto its nostrils. A third gleaner attacked and tried to bite him only for him to release his hold on his current target, kicking it in the ribs as he dropped and the third Gleaner bit it on the nose, aiming where it had been. So stated a battle royal, as the two Gleaners started rolling across the ground, snapping a clawing at each other.

"These things are dumber than the Jötunn Inquisitor!" Jago shouted, laughing as he fought. But then he turned and saw Belldandy and Cool Mint locked in desperate battle with the forth Gleaner, as the first recovered from its original attack and charged him, loping towards him on all fours. He casually side-stepped and tripped it, catching its delicate wing-membrane in his hand as it stumbled past. Using his body as a pivot, he spun the monstrosity around himself and tossed it into the one that the girls were struggling with, knocking it aside. "You two alright?" he asked them but didn't wait for their reply, just turned to face the regrouping Gleaners. The four of them were stood a little way off, hissing and snarling at him as he squared off, ready for the next round. "Well come on then! COME AND HAVE A GO IF YOU THINK YOU'RE HARD ENOUGH!" He laughed and watched as the beasts backed off a little. Only then did he hear the shouting. Belldandy and Cool Mint. Warnings. Shit. Because it was then that the fifth Gleaner attacked, biting down on him from above and tossing him aside like a rag doll.

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"JAGO!" Cool Mint shouted as the big man's body was tossed aside. She was beside him in seconds, ignoring the crowing Gleaners and lifting his head from the ground. There were ragged punctures all along his torso where the Gleaner had bitten into him, tearing the flesh and leaving deep wounds. "JAGO! JAGO, SPEAK TO ME!" Cool Mint said desperately, slapping his cheeks and checking his breathing. Then she jumped as he gave a gasped and clutched at her with his hands. He quickly calmed and then gave weak grin.

"Bugger. This is twice this has happened now! And I really liked this shirt!" Cool Mint shook her head and then turned to Belldandy as the goddess swiped at the approaching Gleaners with her staff.

"Is he alright? Can he fight?" Cool Mint gave a pause before answering.

"Five minutes! I need to patch him up!" Belldandy gave a grim look.

"That's too long! I can't hold off five Gleaners on my own!" But it was then that Jago grasped Cool Mint's hand and forced her attention back onto him.

"Help her. I've got this".

"But Master Jago-"

"I'm gonna call out Pluto. He's got more than enough power to stop these things. But I need time to do it and Belldandy needs your help. Now go Cool Mint! GO!" Reluctantly, Cool Mint turned away from Jago and then, changing into her full angel form, she drifted over to Belldandy.

"Cool Mint? I thought-"

"He's going to use Brother Pluto. But he needs time. We just have to give him that". And with that, she shot forward, calling on one of the spells she had learnt from Lamb as she roared into battle; "RAZOR WING STRIKE!"

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They fought hard. Cool Mint shared one-third of Lind's total power and as such, was as strong on her own now as herself, her sister and her Mistress had been during the Angel-Eater incident. And Belldandy was with her. The most petite picture of content and happiness she may have been but Belldandy had once held a Valkyrie licence before retiring to become a become a wish granter. Between them, they were a powerful team. But they were not enough. For the Gleaners were the Guardians of Ginnungagap, the mightiest prison in all of creation and the tomb of the Titans. And against them, even a pair of First Class goddesses with combat training were no match. Cool Mint grunted as she was tossed aside, holding a hand to her side where a claw had opened her abdomen, soaking her wrap with blood. Belldandy landed beside her, her gold, white and blue gear battered and torn, her body covered in bruises.

"This is hopeless!" Cool Mint gasped, pushing herself up and onto her elbows. "We can't hold them back any longer!" Belldandy nodded.

"You're right" she said and glanced back toward Jago. His eyes were closed in intense concentration as he searched for Brother Pluto. However, unlike Jupiter, Pluto was much harder to find and with his injuries, he was struggling to maintain his focus. "It looks like there is only one thing I can do". The goddess stood, leaning on her staff and faced the Gleaners. Cool Mint paled, contemplating what Belldandy was planning.

"Don't be a fool! Removing your limiter won't-"

"But if I use a powerful purification spell simultaneously, then there is a good chance I can either weaken or destroy the Gleaners. And that should be enough for either you or Jago to defeat them!"

"But Belldandy, it'll kill you!"

"No it won't! Trust me!" And with that, Belldandy began to chant.

"BELLDANDY!" Cool Mint turned to see Keiichi come running from the hotel, covering his face against the golden light and strong winds that were now gusting from Belldandy and she grasped by the shoulders trying to stop him.

"You mustn't interfere! You could kill her!" But Keiichi couldn't understand her, not with her disguised removed.

"Cool Mint! Let me go! I know that spell; the Ultimate Demon Destruction! She used it once before and it nearly killed her, even with her power limiter!" Cool Mint nodded and tried to pull Keiichi away but he continued to resist.

"_But she survived!" _Cool Mint said, resorting to a hurried mental link in order to get through to Keiichi. "_She just has to hold them off long enough for Jago to call out Brother Pluto and then-"_

"You don't understand! Belldandy's pregnant!" And Cool Mint's blood ran cold. For if Belldandy really was pregnant, with three times her usual strength and she used such a powerful spell, she could very well shatter the planet, ESPECIALLY if she removed her power limiter at the same time. Therefore there was only one thing that she could do… and as an angel, only she could do it.

"_Stay with Jago!" _she said. "_I've got this!"_ And with that, Cool Mint shot forward. She soared straight towards Belldandy, even as the Gleaners closed in on them. And all Keiichi could do was watch… as Cool Mint reached out… and with one hand… she pulled Holybell right out of the goddess's back.

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Belldandy screamed in agony as Holybell was torn from inside her, mingling with those of the angel herself.

"I'm sorry" whispered Cool Mint. And in a final gesture, she wrapped herself around the other angel, shielding her from the blast that was about to come. Because at that moment, Belldandy's power limiter collapsed and the half-formed spell was released in a searing wave of heat and light. The Gleaners shrieked as the pure light energy ripped through them, scorching them in mind, body and soul. But it was not just them who suffered. In the same way that a human being, made of seventy per cent water, could be drowned, an angel could be destroyed if exposed to an excess of light energy. And Cool Mint, busy protecting Holybell, took the full force of the blast as it tore through the area. She screamed as she felt her flesh burn and her feathers singe, but she hung on grimly, refusing to release her grip on Holybell, even as the pair of them fell to Earth with a sickening crash.

"COOL MINT!" Keiichi shouted and moved to approach the fallen angels. But then he was forced to stop as Belldandy also dropped to the ground. He crouched beside her, shaking her, trying to wake her. "BELLDANDY! BELLDANDY! PLEASE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"_She's alright_". He turned to see Cool Mint struggle to her knees, releasing her grip on the comatose Holybell.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"_You saw what I did. I pulled out her angel… and it saved her life". _She struggled to her feet and grinned weekly, cupping her hands to her burned skin. _"Don't worry. Just give me a few minutes,then I'll restore her and she'll be fine". _And then she gasped. Looking down, she saw a blood stained claw sticking through her midriff. And then, as the claw was withdrawn and a thin trickle of white blood leaked from the corner of the mouth, she turned and looked up into the face of a Gleaner. The beast was battered and beaten, its skin torn and ragged, ribs exposed. But it was grinning. And with a shriek, it leaned forward and chomped down on the angel.

"COOL MINT!" Keiichi shouted in dismay as the angel was tossed aside, to land in a bloodied heap to one side. And the creature let out a victory shriek, a crow of victory and savagery that was taken up by the other Gleaners. But then the shriek was ended as it was challenged by a new sound; a roar of challenge and defiance.

"AYO GORKHALI!"

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The Gleaners never saw him coming; three-hundred pounds of enraged Opal-essence, with a ten-and-a-half inch khukuri in hand. And Pluto was angry. He bellowed his Ghurkha's war cry and tackled the Gleaner who had just wounded Cool Mint, bowling it over and punching it in the snout. It scrabbled to right itself but with a shout, Pluto hacked downward, severing the Gleaner's wing, soaking his front with black-red blood. The Gleaner gave a gurgling shriek as Pluto leapt over the crippled monster and hurled himself into combat with the remaining four. They snapped, clawed and shrieked while he hacked, slashed, kicked, punched and roared, fighting off the toughest beasts in all of creation on his own. With a shout he disembowelled one and then beheaded a third before turning to face the remaining two.

"So who's next?" he demanded, flashing his huge knife at them. The bats looked at one another and then, unanimously, they turned and started to run, galloping in terror as they tried to escape from Pluto. Pluto wasn't done yet; with a yell, he hurled his boomerang shaped khukuri blade overhand and the rearmost Gleaner went down, gurgling as the blade split its spine. But the final one then veered to one side… straight towards Keiichi and Belldandy.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" Keiichi bellowed, rising to his feet and preparing to protect Belldandy, even if he had to fight the Gleaner with his bare hands. But the Gleaner simply ignored him, brushing past and knocking him over. And then, without pausing in its step, it stooped and opened its mouth. "BELLDANDY! NO!" But it was too late; the Gleaner snapped her up in its mouth and then leapt into the air, carrying the goddess in its mouth. All Keiichi could do was watch as the horrifying monster carried away his young wife, weeping as they disappeared from view. But then he turned as a loud snap echoed across the ground; Pluto had broken the neck of the final Gleaner, the one he had cut the wing off of, using nothing but his hands. But then the big man stopped in his tracks. For Cool Mint was down. And she wasn't going to be getting back up.

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Cool Mint was cold. She was bleeding. And she knew she hadn't long left. She held a hand to her ruined chest as her life-blood pooled around her. No amount of magic could fix a wound like that. But then she felt warm hands around her and she opened her eyes, looking up into the stained face of her Mistress's lover… her lover… Jago.

"Cool Mint?" he asked softly.

"Master" she said, lifting her hand and gently brushing his face. "I'm sorry. I failed you. I should have seen that coming".

"You and me both lass". Jago then leaned forward, placing a hand on her chest and preparing to pour his magic into her. But she grasped his hand in hers and shook her head.

"No. I'm too far gone". But then she pulled him closer. "So take care of my Mistress and my sister… and our baby. Keep them alive".

"Oh no you don't!" Jago said. "That there's dying talk! And you're not dying on me!" Cool Mint smiled weakly.

"Just like you… you never give up, no matter the odds. But these odds are too long even for you to beat". But then she pulled him tight and whispered to him. "But I have no regrets… and… I am glad to have met you… Jago Finch..." And then she chuckled. "I just hope… that they have caramels… wherever I'm going next". And she continued to chuckle. But then the chuckle became a cough. And then the cough faded away. She sank back. Her wing drooped. The sparkle went out of her eyes.

"Cool Mint? COOL MINT?" Jago said, shaking her. But it was too late. Cool Mint was dead. And slowly, almost in a whisper, she dissolved, her body breaking down into tiny blue forget-me-nots that gently blew away in the breeze. He tried to catch them as they blew off but they slipped through his fingers before he could do so. And so he just sat, letting the remains of the beautiful angel blow away, weeping silently as he watched them go.

"What happened?" Keiichi asked, coming to stand beside him.

"She's dead… Cool Mint's dead". Jago then stood, realising his folly. "But now is not the time to weep! We've got bigger problems!"

"How can you say that?" Keiichi demanded. "You just said so yourself; Cool Mint is dead! Not only that but Belldandy has been taken… and our baby! So how can you say that this is not the-" Jago didn't answer him, just punched him in the face.

"Think you fool! Why didn't the others come to help? They had more than enough time and we weren't exactly quiet!" Keiichi paused, rubbing his chin. And then he realised what Jago was talking about.

"Oh no…"

"Yep. They're under attack too!"

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They were forced to their knees, hands behind their heads as the Praetorians crowded around, laughing at the humiliation of the little band. Lind and Spear Mint were held apart from the others, not because they were a threat but more because they were now almost comatose following Cool Mint's death and were being used as leverage to keep the others at bay. And then, Deaderuss strode forward, chuckleing to himself.

"Looks like I've won" he said, turning to Lind. "You see Lind? This is the price of your greatest joy; weakness once separated. Although, the fact that you are still conscious is nothing short of a miracle". He then paused and then looked down at Spear Mint, who was held in her Mistress's arms, her new, second wing twitching slightly as she wept into Lind's chest. Lind however was blank faced, almost as if she were brain dead and barely able to respond either the mocking words of her former Lord or the anguished tears of her angel. Deaderuss then snorted. "Perhaps I should take this other one too, just to see what happens?" Then Lind's face twitched and her arms tightened around Spear Mint, holding her closer to herself as Deaderuss chuckled, taking a step forward and drawing a short knife from his belt.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Deaderuss turned calmly to Lamb who was being clubbed back to her knees by a pair of Praetorians.

"Quiet yourself my dear" he said. "I'll have plenty of time to deal with you later". He then turned back to Lind, smiling. "Now where was I? Oh yes!" He knelt down and lifted Lind's chin gently in his hand, staring into her blank, blue eyes. "Now my dear, I want to make a deal with you. You see Lind, I have always liked you, even after you turned down my offer of joining me in the Praetorians. So I have deal I want to make with you…" He stopped, gently spinning the knife around his fingers. "I will let you live. Not just you but all of the rest of them; the Almighty's girls, the Nightmare and Spear Mint of course. Oh, the Fighting Arch will have to die but that is unavoidable. I return, I just want you to surrender yourself to me. Mind, body and soul. Then Lind, you and I, we will take Heaven as our own. Wouldn't it be glorious? The Wingless and the One-Winged; rulers of all of creation. So what do you say?" Slowly, Lind looked him straight in his face.

"No" she said simply. "Lamb is a friend and Jago is my lover. I carry his child and I would never betray him". And she gave a little smile, a spark in her eyes, making Deaderuss grit his teeth in frustration.

"Well then, perhaps this could change your mind!" And with that, he spun and he hurled the knife he had been holding in his hand, sending it sailing through the air and into Lamb's left wing. She shot to her feet, screaming in agony, clutching at the knife and with one hand, she yanked it free of her wing, revealing a terrifying sight; the wound was black and dusky, almost as if it had been poisoned. But most terrifying, the darkness was spreading. Slowly, creeping like a disease, a wave of darkness pushed along her veins and her entire left wing seemed to wilt, slowly burning and dropping off, until her entire left wing had been burned away. But it didn't stop there; it quickly spread to her right wing and this went through the same process. Within a few seconds, her beautiful twenty foot wings had been completely burned away, leaving nothing but blackened nubs at her spine. That was the curse of a de-winging blade; it stripped an angel of her wings and would leave them to die slowly as their magic slowly drained away.

"Now then" Deaderuss said as Lamb finally fell to the floor and was kicked aside by a Praetorian, "I think that should be enough incentive. You know what will happen to her without her wings, so I suggest that you change your mind Lind; join me and I will kill her fast. Resist me and I will kill you ALL slow". Lind looked across at Lamb, her heart breaking as the angel writhed on the ground, clasping her hands to her shattered wings. But then, she caught Lind's eyes and just before Deaderuss leaned forward, Lamb shook her head. She didn't want Lind to save her. But then Deaderuss blocked her view and grasped her chin. "So? What do you say?" And he kissed her. Lind stiffened as she tried to resist but she did not have the strength to fight him any longer. Then a hand came around and slapped Deaderuss, making him break contact.

"Don't you dare kiss my Mistress! Not while Jago is still alive" Spear Mint snarled, looking up from Lind's arms, glaring at the Lord.

"You still have some spirit I see" Deaderuss said with a chuckle. "But I see that you aren't aware of your lover's fate". Lind bristled as the others whispered to one another.

"What have you done Deaderuss?" Lind asked slowly. "Where is Jago? Where is my fiancée?"

"Fiancée huh?" Deaderuss sneered. "Well let me tell you; whilst I have been busy dealing with you all, I sent the Death Gleaners to deal with him. By now he will be dead". Lind looked blank for a second.

"Gleaners? You set the _Gleaners_ on him?"

"Yes. It seems likely that your other angel simply got in the way when the Gleaners tried to kill him. An unavoidable consequence of interference I think. But-"

"You killed Jago? Jago and Cool Mint?" And Lind chuckled. "I'll kill you. I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" With a roar, Lind leapt to her feet, withdrawing Spear Mint back inside herself to protect her and summoning her halberd. And she swung…

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Lind stopped. And she looked down from Deaderuss's frowning face to her stomach. Deaderuss had his hand on her seax knife. And he had stabbed her in the stomach with her own knife. No not the stomach… _the womb_.

"YOU BASTARD!" Urd was up and on her feet, blasting aside the nearest Praetorians with a wave of her hand and then summoned her huge hammer, swinging around to strike down her captor. Damascus then leapt up and let out a shriek that shattered ear-drums and cracked teeth, slicing at her enemies with her claws. Within seconds, they were all up, fighting, hacking, spiting. But it was all for nought. Before Lind had even hit the ground, they had all been subdued once more. Deaderuss spat and snarled to the little group.

"You all still dare to resist! Very well then; you shall suffer for your foolishness! Praetorians; to arms!" In a single move, every Praetorian had her weapon drawn, every blade levelled at the group. Deaderuss was about to give the word but then paused. "Weth, come here!" Reluctantly, Weth approached her Lord, Jago's sword in hand and she bowed her head.

"Yes my Lord?"

"You did well in bringing them here. So I give you an honour afforded to few; kill Lamb". Weth paled as the Praetorians dragged Lamb forward and forced to kneel before the apprentice.

"You want me to kill her my Lord?" Weth asked nervously. Deaderuss nodded.

"Yes. Now do it. We don't have all night". Weth looked down at Lamb. The curly-haired angel had her head down, her wrap stained with the blackened remains of her wings. And then Weth looked around. Lind, lying on her side, tugging the knife from her womb with a shout and clasping a hand to herself as blood and amniotic fluid soaked the front of her Valkyries uniform. "Get on with it Weth". Urd and World of Elegance looking proud and indignant before the Praetorian blades. Beside her, Skuld and Noble Scarlet were knelt, faces stained with terrified tears.

"Come now Skuld" Urd hissed through her teeth. "Don't let these bastards see you cry".

"Get on with it Weth". Damascus growled as she was held down, snapping and snarling at the nearest warriors, struggling to break free from them but unable to escape their vice like grip. "Weth…" And then she looked down. Lamb was looking up. Their eyes met. Lamb's turquoise. Weth's brown.

"Kill me or don't. I won't blame you either way. You're just following orders".

"WETH!" Weth jumped at the sound of her Master's shout, Weth raised the blade. And then stopped. Lamb was crying. The mightiest fighter in all of history, weeping like a little girl. Slowly, Weth lowered the sword and sighed before turning to face Deaderuss.

"I'm sorry Master" she said. "But this is going too far. I know we want to overthrow Heaven but..." She stopped and then steeled herself. "But killing her is wrong! She does not deserve to die, even if she does know too much. So I will not kill her. I will not kill Astrakhan Lamb". Deaderuss looked as if he was about to explode.

"YOU DARE TO DEFY ME WETH?! MY OWN APPRENTICE?!" He stopped and then grasped his katana, pulling it from his sheath. "Very well, I'll kill her myself!" He stepped forward but Weth moved to block him.

"You will not touch her Master! I will not allow it!" The other Praetorians backed away, shocked by this display of defiance from Deaderuss's apprentice. The Lord himself however, was unconcerned.

"Very well. I will strike you down first!" With a sudden blur of motion, he shot forward, slicing with his blade. Weth leaned back, blocking with Jago's ever-sharp claymore and then heaved forward, trying to shove Deaderuss back off of her. Deaderuss was stronger however and simply shoved her back and thumped her hard in the face, breaking her nose with gauntleted fist. She yelped and then back-swung her blade, trying to catch Deaderuss in the side. Deaderuss had a lighter sword however and was the faster of the two, sweeping under her guard and opening up the back of her right arm. Finally, he hooked one leg behind hers and then forced all of her weight onto one foot, forcing her to fall backwards and onto her back. Before she could recover, Deaderuss had snatched up her sword and jammed it into her other arm, just below the shoulder and pinning her to the ground. Weth shrieked as Deaderuss took a step back, kicking the new wound in the process.

"You should know by now Weth; you can never beat me! _Nobody_ can beat me!" He then leaned forward and pulled her up, on handed and by the throat. "And now I shall deal with you myself". Still holding Weth by one arm, he turned to face a Praetorian Captain from one of Hell's cohorts with dark green hair and pale yellow eyes under his skull-masked helmet. "Captain Dagr, I'll be leaving for now to deal with this traitor. Kill the others while I was gone. But leave Lamb alive. I want to have some fun with her before she dies. And don't bother with Lind. She's dead anyway". Dagr nodded as Deaderuss dematerialised into darkness and then turned to face the rest of the forces.

"Well you heard his Lordship" Dagr said. "Kill them!" The Praetorians stepped forward, preparing to strike and raised their weapons. But then a noise made them stop. The deep honk of a massive truck's air-horn. And then, with the roar of a massive diesel engine, Jago's Unimog came slaloming across the beach and into the ranks of the Praetorians.

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The Praetorians scattered as the armoured behemoth tore through their ranks, killing and maiming at least a dozen who weren't fast enough to escape its wrath. With a final lurch and blast of its horn, the truck slewed to a stop, as the wavering Praetorians attempted to regroup. And then, climb down out of the cab, his Stetson tucked down over his eyes and a frown over his face, came Jago.

"Well, well, well. Starting up a butt-whooping without me?" Captain Dagr gulped a little and licked his lips, nervous in the presence of the Paladin.

"Twoarchs, I'm glad you've come. I-"

"Save your bluster and bravado; I can see that you're shitting in your pants. Now I suggest that you let the others go and see how you fare against a REAL challenge". Dagr glanced to his side and tried to smile.

"You? Haven't you realised that we have your friends as hostages? Even the mighty Captain Lind was no match for knives-" But then he realised his mistake as Jago raised his hat, revealing it Pluto's copper-coloured eyes.

"You stabbed Lind? You… stabbed… my… Lind?" Dagr tried to swallow again as Pluto started to grin. "Right then" he said slowly. "Looks like… I'm gonna have to fucking kill you". Dagr tired bravery one more time, hoping to dissuade Pluto once more.

"Surely you don't think you can fight us all? There's a hundred of us and only one of you!" Pluto grinned and rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

"True… even for me, a hundred to one is no fair fight…" But then he grinned wider and his eyes flashed, going from Pluto's copper to the red of Jupiter.

"But me plus Gandamak? Now that's just about right!" And with that, Jupiter dropped to the ground as the huge, four winged dragon bellowed into the skies, belching liquid fire down on them from above.

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The dragon smashed into the ranks of the Praetorians, knocking them aside like skittles as Jupiter leapt into battle, swinging his khukuri to hack down one of the guards. At the same time, Keiichi, who had been hidden in the cab of the truck, kicked the Unimog into reverse and spun it around, reversing it into the enemy ranks and straight into the path of the little group. This time, it was Skuld who led the counter attack, calling out to her weapon of choice;

"BANPEI!" she shouted and the robot leapt from the back of the truck, knocking aside Praetorians with his stick as the little group was loaded into the back of the Unimog. In the meantime, most of the remaining Praetorians were in trying regrouping, forming a wall of sharpened blades and Aegis Shield spells to drive back the dragon. Jupiter on the other hand was laughing and hacking away at the Praetorians, his heavy blade shattering the haft of a long pike before ducking under a hurled axe and slicing clean through the blade of a falchion. Another enemy struck at him, her rapier stabbing deep into Jupiter's thigh but he simply grunted, tensing the muscle and trapping the blade within his leg. He hacked at the wrist of his attacked, forcing her to release the blade. He then grasped the sword by its hilt and pulled it from his leg before turning it and using it against its former owner. By now, Lind had been collected and loaded into the back of the truck, with the survivors ready to depart.

"Jago! We're ready to go!" shouted World of Elegance from the car.

"You go Ella!" Jupiter called back, ignoring the fact that the wrong name had been used. "I'll keep them occupied here as you get away! Now go!" With that, the truck started to move once more and before long, it had disappeared from sight, leaving Jupiter and Gandamak fighting alone against the remaining Praetorians. Now for some pay-back!

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"Sir! We can't hold them! They're too powerful!" Dagr ground his teeth at the Lieutenant as he watched his precious unit being hacked apart by the combined powers of Jupiter and Gandamak. He had failed. But they had to escape.

"Sound the retreat" he said. "Get the survivors out of here". The horns were blown. And then, as quickly as they came, the Praetorians simply faded away into the night. Panting, Jupiter came to stand before Gandamak, looking up at the huge monster's eye.

"Thanks mate. I owe you one". Gandamak blinked slowly, his wings torn and his heavy scales dented and battered.

"No Opal-essence. I owe you my allegiance and as such, I am duty bound to come when you call. However, I must ask that the next time that you summon me, please ensure that you warn me that we'll be facing a Praetorian unit BEFORE I get here". Jupiter nodded.

"Deal. Now get you gone. I wouldn't hang around in case more show up".

"My Lordship" the dragon said and then, while bowing his head, he disappeared.

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Jupiter ground his teeth as he pushed he hand against Keiichi's stomach. He gave a grunt and then with a final sigh, he sat back and grinned.

"That should do it" he said. "Holybell, you make it across?" The angel suddenly appeared from Keiichi, her eyes downcast and her wings sad and limp.

"Yeah… I'm here. Thank you for helping me". Keiichi reached around and tried to smile up at Belldandy's angel.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that Jago… er, Jupiter has a plan to get her Belldandy back". He paused and turned to look at Jupiter. "You do have a plan right?" Jupiter frowned, wrinkling his brow but before he could answer, Urd opened the door to the room that they were using to treat the wounded.

"Are they alright?" Jupiter asked. "Can I see them?" Urd frowned.

"Not like that you can't". Jupiter gave a confused look and then twigged.

"Really?" he said, exasperated. "You realise that even though I talk a good talk, I was never really planning on hurting anyone… unduly. I may be an evil, nasty, sadistic bastard but I you guys were never really in harm's way with me". Urd raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine!" Jupiter gave a quick shake and his eyes went from red to Jago's brow.

"Alright, there!" said Jago. "Now can I see them?" Urd nodded.

"Alright. You can see Lind. But Lamb.. she's out cold. So I suggest that you bring her inside you and prepare for the worst. She hasn't got long left now".

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Jago closed the door quietly behind him and then turned to see Lamb and Lind each laid out on a futon in the centre of the room. Lamb was as still unconscious, her back towards the door, her back blackened where her wings had been burned away by the de-winging blade. Quietly, he touched her one the shoulder and slowly, quietly, she retreated back inside his mind. Then he turned to Lind. And he felt like weeping. Her front was stained red with blood, with the front of her uniform torn open just above the waist. And although Urd's magic had been enough to heal her so that she would never carry a scar, he could see clearly that she would carry one scar that they must both bare forever. But for now, he had to be strong.

"Lind?" he asked quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lind slowly opened her eyes and she looked up at him. Then silently, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Jago, I'm sorry" she said. "I was too weak to stop them. I was too weak to fight them". And then, with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, Lind pulled him close and whispered in his ear; "I'm sorry Jago… but I lost our baby".

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Jago simply lay still and let Lind hold him, hugging her back and crooning softly to her, gently rubbing her belly with one hand. But now, her belly was flat once more, the tiny bump and the equally tiny heartbeat now gone. Between them, they had lost so much. Cool Mint was dead. Their unborn son was gone. And Lamb was dying. So all they could they could do was lie still and hold each other. Slowly though, they released each other.

"Cool Mint?" Lind asked. "How did she…?"

"We were attacked by a group of Death Gleaners; five of them. I tried to take them all on my own but was attacked from behind while I wasn't looking. I then tried to use Pluto to fight them off but he was taking too long, with her and Belldandy fighting against them. Then Belldandy tried to give us a few more seconds by using a powerful purification spell but…" He paused and cleared his throat. "Apparently, she was pregnant and she miscalculated her new powers, so Cool Mint tried to pull out Holybell in order to stop her killing herself. But in the process, she was badly injured and just before I could attack, the Gleaners… they killed her". He leaned forward and lowered his head, crying softly. "She said she had no regrets. But I'm sorry… I couldn't save her". Lind laid her hand on his head and gently ran his hand through his hair.

"It's not your fault" she said. "I'm sorry that I couldn't save Lamb either. I was…"

"No tears" Jago said, gently wiping Lind's cheek, while ignoring his own. "But tell me; who did this? Who was the traitor?" Lind paused and then looked Jago straight in the eye.

"There were two; Weth was one. She led us into the trap and has probably been spying on us since the beginning". She paused before continuing. "However, she appears to have had a change of heart… she fought to save us from the real traitor".

"And who is this traitor?" Jago asked softly.

"Who do you think?"

"Deaderuss?"

"Yes". It was then that the door opened and Urd entered, carrying Jago's phone.

"Jago, Lind, I'm sorry to disturb you… but you need to take this call".

"Who is it?" Jago asked, taking the phone from her.

"It's Peorth. She says we have a problem.. a big one".

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Jago took the phone and answered it.

"Peorth? What's up?"

"Jago, you need to get out of there!" Peorth said. She sounded desperate.

"Why? What's happened?"

"It's Deaderuss! He says that you and Lind called up the Gleaners and tried to kill Belldandy! The other goddesses aren't convinced but he's called up both the Valkyries and the Praetorians and is he's coming after you in force!"

"What about the Almighty? Surely he must-"

"Deaderuss has cut all access to the Almighty until further notice! We can't get through! Now you need to get out of there! They're coming!" Jago paused, thinking hard.

"Alright Peorth, listen carefully; I'm going to ground but I need your help to pull it off. Contact Mara and tell her I'll meet her at the All Saints Park, Oxford Road, Manchester, in ten minutes. Tell her make sure she's not followed and that I'm going to her to bring her car and some supplies".

"Ok but… why? What are you planning?"

"Believe me, the less you know for now, the better. Just suffice to say, I have a safe house there and I'm going to need some help getting to it. Once that's done, keep safe and see if you can find a way to ferry info to me. I'll let you know when I'm set up, alright?"

"Alright" Peorth said. "Now get going!" With that, the phone clicked off and Jago pocketed it. He then scooped and picked up Lind.

"Sorry lass, we need to go" he said and carrying her in his arms, he headed for the door. Urd however, blocked his path.

"No way! You two aren't going anywhere! Neither of you are fit to travel and besides-"

"Urd, Lind and I have been declared traitors. We need to go NOW. Now either you get out of the way or I kick you out of the way". Urd looked as if she was going to argue but then saw the fire in Jago's eyes and thought better of it, steeping aside and allowing him to carry Lind form the room.

"Hey Jago, what's going on? Where are you taking Lind?" Skuld demanded as they entered the room.

"I can't tell you kid, it's on a need to know basis". Before Skuld could say anything about being called a kid, Jago had turned away to face Keiichi and Holybell. "I'm sorry I couldn't help Belldandy but I promise, I'll have her back in… three days tops. Until then, don't do anything I wouldn't do". The pair nodded and Jago over to a small bowl of water he had left on the windowsill for just such an occasion, then used the Dimensional Slide spell to instantly transport himself and Lind away. There was a moment of silence as the occupants of the hotel room tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Ok, I have two questions" Skuld said. "What just happened and how are we getting home?"

"Well Jago left me the keys to his truck" Urd said, entering the room and spinning them around her finger. "As to the other thing, well… that could take some explaining".

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With a gasp, Jago and Lind emerged from a puddle and into the streets of Manchester. It was raining, as it always was but the sky shone dimly in the pre-dawn light. The start of a brand new day. Taking shelter in the lee of a building, Jago continued to hold Lind, wrapping her in both his and her jackets as she began to shiver. Presently however, the peace of the cool morning air was shattered by the sound of a seven litre V8 engine and pretty soon, a black and white Dodge Challenger rolled in through the morning fog. It pulled up at the curb beside them and the door flew open as Mara stepped out, her usual replaced by black jeans, a black tank-top and a fur lined denim jacket. She growled irritably Jago as the rain slowly trickled down her face.

"This had better be good!" she demanded. "I was just going on my break when-" But she fell silent when she saw how serious Jago's face was. Then she saw that what she had taken for a simple bundle in his arms was actually Lind, her uniform soaked with blood. "Holy shit, what happened!?"

"No time to explain" Jago said and with as much care as possible, he placed Lind in the back seat of the car before climbing in on the passenger side. "You know your way around this town?" he asked as Mara climbed in beside him.

"Sure I do! Manchester is one of the favourites for demons! That is apart from Glasgow of course".

"Good" said Jago. "Then drive. I'll fill you in on the way". He then turned to look at the back seat, see how Lind had fallen asleep there. "Don't worry lass" he said softly, caressing her cheek. "I can still fix this".

**Authors Note: what happens when you have to live with your grandmother while looking for work and as an added bonus, your two year old cousins come to visit but scream every time they lay eyes on? You lock the door, put your headphones in and knock out a chapter as fast as you can bloody type! Fun no? Well I think this is the second fastest I ever updated so I hope its ok! **


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Daddy's Going Hunting**

Mara flicked the curtain closed as the police car went wailing off down the street and turned to Jago as he laid Lind gently out on the bed, pulling a blanket over the top of the sleeping Valkyrie.

"So the situation is really that bad?" the demon asked, taking a seat in the one good chair. "You've really been declared a traitor?" Jago nodded, leaning against the edge of the counter-top.

"Aye. Lind and I are wanted fugitives". He paused. "I'm sorry that I had to drag you into this. I needed someone I could trust to get us out of there". Mara snorted.

"Forget about it. I should have known better than to sign up to this kind of crap but I'm here now and so, I might as well see it through. So what's the plan?" Jago didn't answer, making Mara frown. "You do have a plan right?"

"For now? No. I have no plan, no gear and no idea what we're going to do". He paused and then reached into the draw of the desk, pulling something out. "For now though, I suggest you get some sleep. I'll keep watch and try and work out my next move". Mara paused and then nodded, settling herself deeper into the chair and closing her eyes.

"Could I just ask you something though?" she said, not bothering to open them again. "What is this place? What kind of student keeps a safe-house? Were you expecting some kind of raid?"

"No. This was my flat back when I was a dealer. I kept it just in case I ever needed a bolt-hole. As it turned out, I was right to keep it". Mara paused and nodded.

"I guess that makes sense" she said. "Although I never would have pegged you as a dealer". With that, she settled down to sleep while Jago took a seat on the stool by the counter and pulled the thing he had taken from the draw across to him and shook it out of its storage sock. A .22 pistol. Just about the only weapon he had. With practiced ease, he stripped down the weapon, carefully cleaning every part of the gun and replacing the old gas filled cylinder that provided the pneumatic propellant for the gun. And then, on a whim, he took a couple of bullets and he started his real work. He was gonna make them… extra deadly.

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"If it were anybody else who asked me to come, I would have refused" Jeiko said, leaning against the wall of the tiny room. "It isn't a promising move for the head of the Earth spirit military to be seen to be associating with a pair of supposed traitors". He sighed. "But as it is, I don't really have my choice do I?" Jago nodded and then turned to him.

"Well, whatever the case may be, I'm glad you came". The Earth spirit Lord nodded.

"So I'm assuming you have a plan?"

"That I do" Jago said. I'm going after Deaderuss and the Praetorians and I'm gonna kill as many of them as possible. It's the best kind of plan; simple and easy to remember". Both Mara and Lord Sukaru looked at him as if he was mad. "Don't look at me like that, I don't plan to just go in all guns blazing; I may be daft but I'm not suicidal!"

"So what IS your plan then?" Mara asked.

"We're going to capture ourselves a Praetorian and interrogate her to find out exactly what their plan is. I need to know whether it's just Deaderuss with a handful of loyal fighter or whether the rot goes deeper. In particular, I need to know whether they're working with the Jötunns or whether the two incidents are unconnected".

"And how exactly do you plan to achieve that?" The demon demanded. With a grin, Jago held up one of his modified bullets.

"One of these should do the trick… provided I have some bait". And with that, he looked pointedly at Mara. She paused and then looked across at Jeiko. He had a pointed look too and she sighed.

"And I guessing that's my job right?"

"Got it in one".

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Lind woke groggily, rubbing her face as she tried to organise her memories. Where was she? Why was she here? She could remember…

"Oh Cool Mint" she said, feeling a sudden wave of anguish at the loss of her mischievous, impetuous angel. She wept openly, feeling empty and alone for the first time since both of them had been removed during the Angel-Eater incident. She felt Spear Mint shift inside her, unused to being alone within her Mistress's soul. And she felt the emptiness and stiffness of her abdomen were her son had once been… now all that was there was an emptiness that made her feel sick with loss. She sat up and tried to remember exactly what had happened. Weth's treachery, Deaderuss and the Praetorians, Lamb's wings and then… Jupiter. Jupiter and Keiichi. They had saved them, when she had been unable to do anything but lie, bleeding in the sand. They had brought her back to the hotel where Urd had patched her up and then Jago had come… and he had brought her here. But why? She had passed out on the trip through and Jago hasn't explained why they had had to run. So why was she here? And where was Jago?

"Ah! I see you're awake!" She turned to see Lord Sukaru crossing over to her, holding a steaming mug of coffee. Lind accepted the mug, bowing her head.

"Thank you Jei- Lord Sukaru". Jeiko frowned as he took a seat beside the bed.

"Come on Lind, we've known each other for long enough to use first names". Lind nodded.

"I'm sorry Jeiko. You have always been my friend and you're right; we have known each other long enough for me to show you that respect". She paused and set down her mug. "Now I must know; where's Jago? And why are we hiding? I missed that part". Jeiko paused, setting down his mug meaningfully.

"Deaderuss has declared you two traitors and so he brought you here to keep you safe… and he asked me to keep an eye on you while he and Mara try and capture a Praetorian". Lind looked dismayed.

"They've gone after a Praetorian? Why?"

"Jago wants information before he goes after Deaderuss. But he needs a captured Praetorian so that he can GET that information". Lind was on her feet in seconds, preparing to move out.

"Then I have to go! I have to-" But then she gasped and fell back, grasping her stomach in pain. Gently, Jeiko lay her back down, shaking his head.

"You're in no condition to fight Lind; you're still healing. Urd is only a basic healer and if you try to move to much now, you could very well end up reopening the wound and bleeding out before anyone could help you. All you can do is rest and recuperate, at least until Jago and Mara get back. And they WILL be back, once they have their Praetorian".

"And what if their Praetorian comes to them?" They both turned to see an unexpected sight; it was Weth. With a shout, Jeiko's right arm morphed into a huge hammer, striking Weth in the chest and slamming her against the wall with a sickening thud. Before the young Praetorian could respond, Jeiko's arm had reformed into a powerful cannon and he pressed it against her face, letting the heat from the building plasma blister the girl's skin.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here traitor" he said. "Any last words?" But he paused as Lind laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Peace Jeiko" she said. "Let me talk to her". Reluctantly, Jeiko withdrew his arm, letting Weth drop to the ground, gasping. Lind crouched before her and gently raised her chin, inspecting her face with a look of contempt. Weth's nose was still broken, her cheeks were bloody and one eye was swollen, evidence of a severe beating. Gently, Lind turned her face this way and that, before finally questioning her.

"Before we begin girl, I have something I want to make clear to you. I have had a VERY trying day. In twenty-four hours, I have gone from a respected Captain of the Valkyries, fiancée to the Paladin and the expectant mother to a supposed traitor, on the run from what is probably most of my former comrades. I have lost my rank and status. I have lost Cool Mint, my angel and half of my soul although whether this has reduced me in other way, I don't know yet. And I have lost my child to your Master. Now, I am holding your life in my hands. And as I am still loyal to Heaven, despite what has been claimed, while you… you ARE a traitor. As such, nobody would bat an eyelid if I were to kill you right here and now. And even if they did, well… I suppose I could claim emotional stress". She paused and frowned, cocking her head. "I suppose that I can give you credit for coming and facing us yourself. That took guts. And I can see that you took a beating for your effort with trying to save Lamb. If it hadn't been for that, I would have kill you as soon as I sensed you were in the room. However, for now I am willing to let you talk as what I find out from you may be useful for whatever Jago is planning. HOWEVER" she said, holding up her hand, "if you so much as TRY and lie to me then I WILL kill you. Do we have an understanding?" Weth nodded slowly and so Lind took a step back, standing over the injured Praetorian.

"Are you sure about this?" Jeiko asked doubtfully. "How do we know that she isn't just here to spread more lies and just distract us while a unit of Praetorians move in on us?" It was then that Weth gave a wicked grin.

"Is this enough?" she said, as the mutilated form of Solar Radiance appeared behind her. "Perhaps if you won't listen to me, then perhaps you will listen to her!"

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Mara glanced up at the sky, the clouds coating the sky in a grey pallor.

"Welcome to sunny England!" she said to herself and spat. Now though, she had a job to do. She was the bait. Bait for the most dangerous quarry in all of history; a Praetorian. She was an accomplished fighter in her own right, as one of the most powerful demons in all of Hell and a former member of the Niflguard, before she had taken up career as a wish-granter and general mischief maker. But against a Praetorian, she knew she would have little to no chance of defeating them in single combat. She would need to rely on Jago. Wherever he was.

"Oi! Finch, are you ready?" she called out but got no reply as she glanced around the alley. She licked her lips nervously and hoped that that he was. If not, she probably wouldn't even know what hit her. And so with that, she started to form a spell. It didn't need to be anything impressive, just a brief burst of energy that would be visible for miles around, for anybody who was magically attuned. With a grunt, she released it, a brief puff of light that faded almost as soon as it appeared and then, she simply took a seat and waited. Less than a minute later, she heard a brief noise. And then a chuckle.

"My, my. Now isn't this a coincidence? The mighty Mara. Now what are you doing here?" Mara turned to see a single Praetorian perched atop a sign, looking down at her. It was a rare male Praetorian from one of Hell's cohorts, his shoulders decorated with the gold bars of a Captain and his face hidden behind the death's-head mask of his unit. But Mara knew him. And she gulped.

"Dagr. Long time, no see" she said, trying to sound cheerful. The Praetorian grinned and pulled of his helmet, shaking out his flowing green hair and flashing his fangs at her. With an effortless, acrobatic ease, he dropped off of the top of the sign, summersaulting through the air and landing effortlessly in front of her.

"Yes, it really has been too long, hasn't it?" he drawled. "But you haven't answered my question; what are you doing here? I thought you had returned to Hell. And why were you using magic?" Mara gulped.

"Well I was just, er-"

"Surely you must know that the Earth is currently quarantined? At least until the traitors are captured?" He grinned at Mara's obvious distress. "I know that you're if not a friend, then at least an acquaintance of both the One-Winged Wannabe and the Arch-thief, so I can't help but wonder if you are trying to help them in some way?" Mara flinched a little and Dagr grinned. "Ah yes, I see that that's it!"

"No! I'm-I'm here on a special mission from Lady Hild herself! I was supposed to find a way to get rid-"

"Don't kid a kidder Mara!" the Praetorian sneered. "That fool Hild gave them an exception card which means that they are free of demonic interference for life!" Then he scowled and with one hand, he heft Mara off of the ground and slammed her against the nearest wall. "Now I through playing games!" he hissed. "Either you tell me where the Hell they are…", he paused, pulling a short knife from his belt and holding it close to her face, "or I'll start putting a smile on that pretty face in more ways than one!"

"Looking for me?" Dagr almost dropped his knife in fright as he turned to see Jago emerge from a doorway. He gulped and released Mara, almost tangling his legs as he tried to orientate himself of him.

"P-Paladin!" he stuttered, his hand shaking as he held the knife in front of him. Then he cleared his throat and then tried to smile. "Looks like you found us Twoarchs! But it was a foolish move!" And quicker than the eye could follow, he snatched something from inside his cloak and held it in front of him; an amulet of tarnished copper, with a fat purple gem in the centre. "Behold! The Deathbolt Stone! There is not a being alive that can survive a blast from this magical weapon!" Jago simply shrugged.

"So what? Bet you, you won't use it". As if to emphasise his point, he pulled a cigarette from his shirt and lit it, taking a drag. Dagr licked his lips, sweating.

"Oh yeah? You really think I won't use this?" Jago shrugged.

"No, I really don't. Look at you! You're just as lily-livered and scared as the rest of the Praetorians are!"

I am not!" he shouted. "And I will use this if I must! But if you are willing to come along peacefully-"

"Peacefully? Hah! You'll kill me as soon as my back is turned! That's the way of you Praetorians; too yellow to fight a man face-to-face so you resort to sneaking around and using plots and traps to-" Jago didn't finish the sentence. Instead, Dagr's amulet fired off a beam of dark energy that struck Jago full in the chest, sending him spinning away. He crashed into the wall and then just lay there, not moving. Both Dagr and Mara looked stunned at the results of the blast. Slowly though, a grin spread across Dagr's face.

"I did it… I fucking did it! I killed him! I killed the Paladin!" Then Mara cleared her throat.

"Actually, no you didn't" she said. And then her arm came up, holding a .22 pistol. Before Dagr could do anything, she fired of a shot with a near silent snapping noise and the round sliced into the Praetorian's arm. And he began let out a scream as he fell to the floor, writhing as Jago let his disguise collapse, changing back from Mara into himself.

"How do you like my silver nitrate rounds?" he asked. "With just a little salt and iron filings for flavour? Turns out they're super effective against all kinds of demon; from Angel-Eaters to Praetorians. Now you'll probably feel a slight sinking feeling; that's your magic being complete negated by the iron while that burning is the silver and salt mixing with your blood and making a rather nasty little cocktail that'll leave you paralyzed for hours". Then he grinned, his first smile since the fight with the Gleaners. "Not bad for a half-day's work right?" He then turned away from the paralyzed Praetorian and walked over to the other Jago, the one that had been hit in the chest. "Hey Mara, is you dead?" he asked, tapping her with his boot.

"Yah man". With a grunt, Mara dropped the disguise and accepted Jago's hand, pulling herself to her feet. "Well I can tell you that totally sucked!" But then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the item that Jago had given her just before they had set up their little ambush; one of Gandamak's teeth. "I'm glad to see this thing that Gandamak gave you works. If it hadn't dispelled that blast like that, I would have been toast!" She paused and gave a sly look. Then again, if you let me have my magic-dispeller back-"

"N. O. No" Jago said. "You caused enough trouble with it last time you used it! You're not getting it back!"

"I thought so" said Mara, handing back the tooth. "Still, it couldn't have hurt for me to ask". Then she paused and looked across at Dagr. "He shot me!" she said indignantly. Jago shrugged.

"I only said that he _probably_ wouldn't shoot me. It was never definite. Still, the dispeller worked". Mara nodded.

"I'm quite glad Gandamak gave that to you now". Then she paused again. "So what do we do with him?"

"We take him back to base and we question him. Possibly with screwdrivers, depending on whether I think he's holding out on us. If you want though, it return for shooting you, you can kick him in the crotch a few times". Mara grinned devilishly, flashing her fangs.

"Now that I like the sound of!" KICK!

"AHHHHHHHH!"

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When Dagr awoke, he found he still couldn't move. But this wasn't due to the silver nitrate; that had been filtered out of his system hours ago. No, he couldn't move because he was tied to a chair. He heard voices talking somewhere in the distance but couldn't tell what they saying, just that it was a man and a woman talking. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, looking around. It was a simple, barley furnished room, probably the inside of a garage judging from the huge steel doors at the far end of the room. A single naked bulb provided scant illumination for the room but it did reveal what little there was to see. Apart from the chair he was tied to, there was a table with a screwdriver, a file and a covered box that hissed quietly in the half-light. There were two more chairs. And there was a tank in the corner on a trolley. That was it. With a grunt, Dagr began to try and tug at the ropes, hoping to pull himself free. It was just simple rope and with the enhanced strength of a Praetorian, he should have been able to snap them without so much as though. But he could barely even flex his muscles. Confused, he tired magic, attempting to cut the ropes with a Wind Blade spell. However, before it could even begin to form, the spell fizzled away to nothing. It was then he realised why; although he couldn't see it, behind him somewhere, they had attached a saline drip to his arm. But this wasn't delivering saline. It was delivering some sort of iron based fluid that would sap the powers of any demon they came into contact with, without killing them. And while it was filling his veins with that poison, Dagr would only be as strong as a human. And at the mercy of one extremely angry Paladin.

"Oh shit" he swore to himself. It was then that a door behind him opened, temporarily flooding the room with light. Then the door snapped shut and two sets of footsteps echoed through the room. Mara came into view first, ignoring Dagr and simply brushing past hi m to lean against the wall. Then Jago entered. He quietly walked past Dagr, pulled a chair out from under the and spun it around to face the man, taking a seat and leaning his arms across the back of the rest and placing his chin on his arms. For a few seconds, they did nothing, just sat and stared at one-another. Finally, Dagr summoned up the courage to speak.

"Why have you brought me here? I am the Captain of Hell's second praetorian cohort; the Black Guard! I deserve better treatment than this! I-"

"Shut it" Jago said simply, stropping the Pretorian in his tracks. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and then his Ronson lighter, flicking it a couple of times to light it. He took a drag and then glanced up at Dagr before taking the cigarette and offering it to him. As politely as possible, Dagr shook his head. Jago sighed. "That's the problem with you lot; both gods and demons. None of you smoke. You're just like Americans, living long, dull, uninteresting lives until you realise that you're taking up too much space and die".

"Speak for yourself" muttered Mara from behind him.

"But right now" Jago said, ignoring the demon, "that's not important. As to why you are here, you had better allow me explain. Last night, you were one of the Praetorians who tried to kill me and my friends. Because of you and your lot, someone very dear to me is dead, my own angel is dying _and_ Lind has lost our baby so I'm not exactly in the best of moods. Now it doesn't really matter whether you decide to help me or not…" He then stood and picked up the screwdriver and the file before taking the seat again. He started running the one over the other, steadily increasing the sharpness of the tool. "I hope you realise, I'm going to have to kill you. And yes, it IS personal. Now, you have two decisions; you can either help me or you can resist and…", he flashed the screwdriver, "I'll make life extremely difficult for you". Dagr paled.

"You wouldn't dare! You're the Paladin! You wouldn't-"

"Wouldn't I? Look into my eyes and tell me that I wouldn't kill you in a heartbeat". Dagr simply grinned.

"Sure! You haven't got the nerve! I'm not telling you anything!" Jago grinned.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" With that, he stood and crossed the room to the tank and wheeled it over to the tied man. It was now that Dagr could read the label; Oxy Acetylene, Extremely Flammable.

"What's that for?" the Praetorian asked nervously as Jago started twisting various valves, releasing the gas. He then lifted the torch attached to the end and took the cigarette, then flicked a switch, opening everything and lit it. He then flicked away the fab butt and twisted the valve, forcing the torch to burn with a white heat. Finally, he picked up the screwdriver, now sharpened to a point and held it to the torch, allowing it to grow red hot. Dagr watched, petrified.

"What are you doing? You're not going to take my eyes are you?" Jago grinned.

"Nah. I'm gonna do this!" And with a shot, he stabbed the glowing screwdriver into the thigh of his prisoner.

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"NOOOO! NO PLEASE!" Dagr screamed as Jago stabbed him for the fourth time. The smell of burning flesh filled the room once more and Jago sat back as the Praetorian gasped and groaned.

"This can end any time you want" he said simply. "All you have to do is tell me some things. How many of you are working with Deaderuss? Are you involved with the Jötunns? Just tell me and-"

"I will tell you nothing!" Dagr growled. "I may be a coward but I am trained to resist this kind of thing!" He grinned. "Besides, I'm dead anyway! So what's a few more hours!" Jago grunted respectfully but then Mara cleared her throat.

"Jago, could I speak to you?" Jago stood and crossed to her, bowing his head slightly.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure about this? I mean, I've done most things in my time but… torture? It seems a bit extreme". Jago sighed.

"Look lass; without her wings, Lamb would be dead in a few minutes if I let her out, postponed to a few hours if she stays inside me. And when she dies, BOTH of my girls die. A doublet pair you see? And before that happens, I'm want to kill Deaderuss and as many of those fucking Praetorians as I can get my hands on. But to do this, I need information. So, can I get on?" Mara paused and nodded.

"Alright. But for the record, I think you're going too far". Jago paused and together they both looked across at the covered box on the table. "Or… maybe you aren't going far enough".

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Dagr looked out through tear stained eyes as Jago lifted the covered box and set in the chair in front of him.

"What's that?" he gasped. Jago simply stood back and then started to speak.

"Well, I can say this; you're a tougher nut to crack than the average addict. However, I'm pretty sure you won't like THESE". He bent and whipped the cloth off of the box. Only it wasn't a box, it was a tank. And the thing making the gentle hissing noise was revealed too. "These, my friend, are driver ants. There are TWENTY MILLION of the little buggers in here". He gestured towards the ants and then gave the most sadistic grin Dagr had ever seen. "Now here's something interesting about THESE particular ants; they haven't been fed for days and as a species, they are EXTREMLY carnivorous and will have no problem with devouring you alive. All I would have to do is take off the lid and then they will swarm all over you. And once they begin, they won't stop until either they strip you to the bone OR I use a flame-thrower to burn them off. Now, you know what I want to know. And now, I want you to look into my eyes. 'Cause I'm barely holding onto sanity here and I don't exactly have a great deal left to lose. And then, ask yourself; do I feel lucky?" So Dagr did. And he shuddered. Because Jago wasn't joking.

"Alright. I'll talk. Just kill me quick afterwards. And whatever you do, don't set the ants on me!"

"No promises" said Jago. "But I'll see what I can do".

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"What's she doing here?" Jago demanded as he and Mara re-entered his safe-house, indicating Weth who Jeiko had under guard. Jeiko grunted.

"She came here offering information and services for you. Personally, I thought the little bitch was a traitor but Lind gave her the benefit of the doubt", he gestured towards the Valkyrie who had returned to sleep, curled tightly on the narrow bed, "and when you see what has happened to her angel…" He gave an involuntary shudder. "I knew Deaderuss was a cruel bastard but I didn't know he could be that cruel". Jago paused and nodded.

"Alright, if she has any information, it should be fairly easy for me to compare it to what the other Praetorian told me. If she's lying, we'll know and we can deal with her from there". He then took a step forward, gesturing for Jeiko to take a seat. "So you've come back have you Weth?" Jago asked. Weth looked up and realising who was talking to her, she rolled into a respectful kneel and bowed her head, thumping her shoulder with her fist.

"Lord Finch. It's an honour to see you again. If I may-"

"Don't give me that crap" Jago said. "I trusted you Weth and you betrayed me in the worst of possible ways. If it hadn't been for you standing up to Deaderuss, I would have killed you on the spot. And I should warn you, my link to sanity at this moment of time is tenuous at best and I am still well within my rights if I were to kill you. But I'm listening for now. So let's keep this simple; I'll ask questions, you'll answer and if I think you're lying, I'll hack your head off with my khukuri before you can say peanuts. Deal?" Weth gulped and nodded.

"Deal" she said.

"Good. And just so you know, I have obtained a fair amount of information from another Praetorian. One who's dead now. A certain Captain… Dagr I think. So I'll know when you're lying. Now tell me; how many loyal fighters does Deaderuss have at his disposal?"

"Most of the Heavenly Praetorians my Lord. I know that the entire first, second, fifth and seventh cohorts are willing to join him, with most of the others either with at least half under his control. Only Valmeyar's was reckoned to be loyal to the Almighty rather than Deaderuss. Other than that, I'm not sure. I know that at least two of Hell's cohorts are aligned with him as is their leader, Lady Angrboða. Apparently, she is planning some sort of power sharing arrangement when they try their coup. Now as for the Valkyries, the Niflguard and the Auxiliaries, to my knowledge, none of them are even aware that there's a traitor, let alone of the full nature of the situation". Jago nodded.

"That sounds about right. You say that Angrboða is working with Deaderuss? So what are they planning? What are they up to?"

"They plan to make a coup in both Heaven and Hell, replacing both Lord Tyr and Lady Hild and taking command for themselves. I couldn't tell you motives but I can tell you methods; they're planning to use surprise to overwhelm the loyalist forces and then force the rest of the population to submit. And in case they didn't have the numbers, they were planning of brining in the Jötunns as support. Again, I don't know the details but I believe that they have been in contact with the Jötunn leader, King Surtr".

"You never mentioned that Surtr was involved" Jeiko said, shuddering at the mention of the giant's name.

"With respect my Lord, you didn't ask. Again though, I can't tell you exact numbers or how they plan to get in but they were talking about many thousands of warriors. And there was one more thing…" She paused and took a slow breath. "They appear to have some humans in their employ, mostly as spies. The only one I know of was a one-handed Japanese man who they executed for failing in some sort of mission".

"One-handed you say? He wasn't called Mr Aoshima was he?" Weth looked startled.

"Yes that was him; Toshiyuki Aoshima. You knew him?"

"Yeah" spat Jago, "I knew him. The bastard tried to rape Lamb. I thought he smelt funny when I met him and now I know why; he smelt like a Praetorian".

"I'm sorry? He smelt like a Praetorian?"

"Yep. I noticed that all the Praetorians smell funny, even you. I'm guessing it's because you've all spent too long hanging around with Jötunns. But for now that's not important right now". He turned to Mara and cocked his head. "Does what she said sound close enough to what Dagr said to be true?" All eyes were on Mara for a tense moment before she nodded.

"Yeah, it sounds about right" she said. "But I've got something to ask her". She took Jago's place in front of Weth and crouched to look her in the face. "I see that Deaderuss took a whack at you for pulling that stunt against him… can't say I blame him really. But why did you decide to fight him? He was your Master after all. And what made you come back?"

"Well I know that honour is a foreign concept to demons" Weth said with a sneer, making Mara bristle, "but despite Deaderuss being my Master, Astrakhan Lamb is my friend. And as such, I thought it better for try and save her rather than kill her". Mara looked astonished but Weth wasn't finished yet. "And when my Master decided to punish me for my treachery, not only was I beaten to within an inch of my life, but he tortured Solar Radiance until she nearly died. After that, I decided that I had had enough and thought it would be best if I threw my lot in with you. You've been kind to me, taken me under your wing without so much as a complaint. I thought that if I might be able to help you in some way… you might be able to… some how… find a way to… forgive… me?" Jago looked doubtful.

"Yeah… that's not happening. However, if you really have decided to join up with me, then I will take you. But I will need proof". He paused. "Bring out Solar Radiance. I want to see how bad she's hurt". Weth looked nervous.

"Must I really? I've never liked-"

"Are you rejecting me? I'm you Master now, am I not? Weth, you WILL bring out your angel, RIGHT NOW!" Weth cringed away but then nodded.

"Yes Master" she said. And then, with a grunt, Solar Radiance appeared behind her. And Jago gasped. For he had never seen somebody so horribly mutilated before.

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Solar Radiance was in a dreadful state. He face was once more burned away but this time, leaving only a blackened skull on one side. Her arms were both horribly scared with burns in the shape of hand-prints, going from her shoulders to her wrists. Her torso was covered in black, yellow and purple busies and at least three ribs had been broken on her right side. And while her legs were concealed within her waist wrap, concealing any damage there, her wings had been horribly damaged. Her left one had been pulled clean off, leaving a bleeding, ragged stump where it had once been, while her right had been broken in at least three places and then all the feathers plucked out of it, leaving it looking like some shrivelled, desiccated tree that stuck out clear of the angel's back.

"Am I enough proof?" she demanded huskily, her voice rasping though her torn cheek. "I took this so my Mistress might live and come to you. So is this enough proof Paladin? Will you allow us to fight for you?" Jago sighed. And with a sudden burst of speed, his hands grasped her once more and he poured healing magic into her, repairing her shattered body. She gave a gasp of shock but didn't resist until Jago took a step back, stumbling slightly with fatigue. She raised a hand gingerly to her face and touched it while Jago gave a weak smile.

"There" he said. "Now you're back in action".

"Why did you do that?" Mara asked. "She betrayed you!"

"True" Jago said. "But she came back and she said she's willing to fight. And if she's going to fight, I need her at full power". He then stood tall and shook himself. "Right, we have a job to do. And for once, I actually have a plan".

8888

"Ok, here's what we do; we go on the offensive. We have surprise on our side and we can take advantage of that".

"But that's idiotic!" Mara said. "We'd be killed in minutes! Wouldn't it be better to stay put and build up our strength, then try and attack, with a proper plan and provisions?"

"Nope!" Jago said. "That's exactly what they'll be expecting us to do so what we ACTUALLY need to do is attack. Trust me, only an idiot would attack at this moment in time, with minimal gear and preparation. It'd be absolute suicide! And that's why they wouldn't be expecting it; their guard will be down and they won't have their forces ready for a serious counter-attack. If we leave it much longer though, they'll have time to get their forces together and it's just going to get harder. And there's also the fact that that spell I just used is going to draw every Praetorian on this hemi-sphere like moths to a flame. Now this is what I suggest; Mara, I need you to be a distraction. I need… a few minutes to find and hack a Gate to get us there. All I need you to do is draw off the Praetorians while I'm at it. Do you think you can do that?" Mara paled but she nodded.

"You realise this is twice in one day you've used me as bait?" she said grumpily.

"Well maybe next time you can be the traitor and I'll be the bait" Jago said. "Now get going, it won't be long until they get here". Mara nodded and with a flash, she disappeared into the mirror that hung above the sink. Then Jago turned to Weth. "As for you; you're coming with me. If you really want to prove your loyalty to me, you can help me die in a lunatic attack on Heaven. Sound fair?" Weth nodded, as did her rejuvenated angel.

"We're ready" Solar Radiance said. "I wanna kick some arse!" And with that, she pulled Jago's sword out of mid-air, handing it to her Mistress. "So how long until we're ready to go?"

"And what do I do?" Jeiko asked, forming his arm into a massive gun. "Need some heavy artillery?" Jago shook his head.

"Not yet. What I need you two to do is wait outside for a minute. There's someone I need to speak to". Jeiko nodded in understanding and grasped Weth by the shoulder, pulling her from the room. And then, ever so gently, Jago bent and kissed Lind, waking her from her doze.

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Lind turned and she looked up at Jago, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Alright my lover?" he asked her gently. Lind nodded.

"Still sore… and not feeling too great. Did you get your man? The Praetorian?" Jago nodded.

"Aye. I caught the bastard and he squealed like a piggy. He's dead now though".

"I see. So what are you planning on doing now?"

"What do you think? I'm going after Deaderuss of course". Lind frowned and tried to sit up, wincing at the pain from her contracting womb.

"I'd better come with you then" she said. "You're going to need all the help you can get". But Jago placed a firm hand on her and gently pushed her back down.

"No Lind, you're staying well out of this one. You're still not fully healed yet and I can't risk you getting a spilt uterus and bleeding out during the middle of battle. No, I can't risk losing you".

"And the same goes for you Jago" Lind said. "I know you put on a good show but I know that under that shirt of yours, you have at least twenty punctures from those bites, not to mention that wound in your leg from that rapier blade. And without Lamb's wings, she's lost her ability to transfer her strength and abilities to you so you'll be facing the most powerful military force in existence as a single human".

"Well don't count me out just yet" Jago said. "Damascus is still good and with some technical jiggery-pokery, she should be able to do some damage. And I might just be human but I'm a bloody tough one to fight. Plus, I have this" He held up the dragon's tooth so that Lind could see it, as they both knew that it could dispel any known spell so long as the user had it on hand. "Without their magic, I think the playing field should be a bit more level. Especially as Praetorians fight like you do; fixed move sets which once you work them out, are easy to beat". But Lind shook her head and pulled Jago into a tight hug.

"No Jago, I won't let you go. You'll be killed for sure and I…" she leaned back and there were tears in her eyes. "Jago, I've lost so much. I've lost Cool Mint and I've lost our baby. I don't want to lose you too!" And then, weeping, she wrapped herself around him, pulling him tightly to her. "I love you Jago and I don't want to lose you! Not now! You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and if I lose you, I'm not sure how I can go on". Jago sighed sadly, pulling her into his own tight hug and running a hand through her fine blue hair.

"Lind… my lovely little Lind. Strong as nails and tough as old boots but with a heart of gold and melted butter. God I love you. But I can't risk losing you either. At least here, I can be sure that you'll be safe…" And with that, he sang, very, very softly.

"_I can't be home tonight"_

_"I'll make it back, it's alright"_

And then Lind, knowing the song, finished the second part;

"_No one could ever love me"_

_"Half as good as you"_.

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"Jago, I'm glad I met you".

"And I you Lind. And no matter what happens, I will have no regrets". But then Lind felt his hand slide down between her shoulders and gently apply the sedative patch to her back, right over her traitor's brand. "But I can't let you on a mission like this. So I'm sorry Lind". By now, the potent drug that was contained within the patch had already leached into Lind's system and she was feeling drowsy and exhausted. Only her eyes had any strength to reply.

"You bastard" was what they said. And then she was out for the count, snoring gently as Jago pulled her black leather jacket over the top of her and brushing an errant strand of hair from her delicate face. And he sighed once more.

"I'm truly sorry Lind". He then turned to face the door. "Ok you two, you can come back in". Both Weth and Jeiko re-entered and Jago nodded to them. "Jeiko, I need you to stay here for now and keep Lind out of harm's way. Think you can take on a few Praetorians with that big ass gun of yours?" The Earth spirit shrugged.

"I'll see what I can do. What about when Lind wakes up?"

"Then she can come if she wants. I put an extra strong healing spell in with the sedative so she should be ok to travel by then. And by then, I'll probably be either back or dead so it probably won't matter. Alright?" Jeiko nodded.

"Alright". Jago then turned to Weth. "As for you, you're coming with me".

"Good" said the ex-Praetorian. "So do you have a plan?"

"Yep; stealth until we're detected and then we go in all guns blazing. We have to go in light and fast; just weapons and cloths. No gear. So, are you ready?" Weth nodded.

"Yep".

"Good". Then with a snap of his fingers, Jago pulled his hittin stick out of thin air caught it in one hand. "Right then, let's got". But as he turned to leave, Jeiko placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I have to wonder Paladin, have you really though this though. You have hardly any weapons and you're going up against a fairly tough army. And even with those magic dampening teeth, you and Weth are going to be seriously outgunned with Lamb's help. So are you sure you can pull this off?"

"Almost certainly not" Jago said. "But some poor bugger has to try. And that poor bugger may as well be me. Besides, I have an ace up my sleeve". Jeiko sighed in exasperation at his friend's rashness.

"You're crazy you know?" he said.

"Who ever said I was sane to begin with?"

**Authors Note: Just a snipsy little chapter this time cause... well, you can guess what's going to happen in the next one and that's going to be fairly long. Hope its good!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**Coming in Hot**

"So how exactly are we getting to Heaven?" Weth asked. "I know that you have that big plane thing but that'll be no good for this kind of mission". Jago shook his head.

"No, I wasn't planning on using it. We're going a different way; we're taking a Gate".

"A Gate? But Bifrost was kidnapped and there's no other Gate who can take us directly there". Jago winked.

"You really don't know much do you kid?" he said, leading her up to the roof. "If you know what you're doing, any Gate can take you anywhere". He then grunted and rolled his shoulders, loosening up. "Now let's see if I can remember how she did this". And then he began to chant. With a sudden burst of light, the roof of the flat was ringed by a vast ring of magic which glowed purple in the evening light. And then, descending from above, came a Gate. And she looked absolutely furious. She touched down in the centre of the circle and glared around the roof.

"Who dares to summon the Judgment Gate to Earth without permission?" she demanded. "My Mistress, Lady Morgana is going to be furious!" Then she spotted Jago and Weth, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, it's you again" she said. "Why have you summoned me Paladin? This is extremely annoying".

"Hello Judgement" Jago said, bowing his head. "I need a favour. Just hold still a second". Without another word, he strode over to the Gate and placed a hand on her forehead and then with a sudden flash of light, she gave a yelp and staggered back away from him.

"You bastard! You hacked me!" she said. "Why the Hell did you do that? Do you have any idea how long it's going to take me to reset myself?"

"To be honest, I don't care. Right now, I need to get to Heaven and you were the quickest and safest way of getting there". The Gate crossed her robe arms and looked unimpressed.

"Why should I help you? You dragged me down here, without leave and without cause just so-"

"Under Paragraph Thirty-Seven, Section Eight of the Paladin proclamation, the current Paladin is allowed to requisition whomever or whatever he requires in order to maintain order on Earth. Right now, that mean you". He then bent forward and pulled back his Stetson so she could see his forehead mark. "And as you can see, I'm a fully licenced Paladin. Now if you want to argue about it, that's fine. But I should warn you, I've had a pretty shitty day and I'm not really in the mood for whiney Gates. If I wanted, I could put you into an infinity loop so that you constantly open with your legs inside your own stomach. I'll let you picture that for a second". The Gate thought about this and then paled and gulped. "However, there is something I can do; if you help me, I'll be able take out the traitor who captured your sister, the Bifrost Gate and then return her. Does that sound fair?" The Gate paused and then nodded.

"Alright. But only if you promise to get her back. We Gates care for our own and we would appreciate it if she were returned in one piece". Jago nodded.

"Sounds fair. Now, about getting to Heaven?" The Gate nodded, reached around her back and removed the huge key.

"Just push this into my chest and turn it to unlock me. And if I give a moan, ignore it. Once it's open, I'll need just a few seconds to calibrate and then you and the girl can pass through". Jago nodded and took the key, holding it in both hands.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Just get on with it. And as a further warning, I'll be reporting you to Lady Morgana when I get home. She'll be having extremely harsh words with you!"

"Fair enough" said Jago and with a grunt, he shoved the key into her chest and turned it sharply.

"OWWW!" the Gate shrieked as her human form disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced with her portal form. "GOD DAMN IT! DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO FAST AND ROUGH? THAT HURT!" Jago shrugged, completely unfazed by being spoken to by an inanimate floating hole in space.

"You should have told me to slow down" he said simply. "Just get on with it. We need to get going". Muttering some choice curses, the Gate began recalibrating as Weth came over to join Jago.

"How the Hell did you do that? It's nearly impossible to hack a Gate, even with special equipment".

"Don't you know anything about Archs?" Jago asked. "We tried to do the same thing when we were attacked by Juggernaut… an Unkillable I think you guys called it. Anyway, Lamb's Mistress had a pet project in the summoning and rapid hacking of Gates and the application of this in combat situations and I can do anything that that I have seen either of my Archs do, provided I have enough magic in my system to complete the spell without dying. As such, I thought that I would give it a go".

"But didn't you fail last time because it took too long?"

"Yeah it did but I've been rerunning the thing in my head and managed to slim the whole thing down a bit. The only thing I needed was the hacking codes for a Gate. And that's why I needed the Judgement Gate; she's the only one who's code I knew".

"Oh" said Weth and then paused. "When you say that you slimmed down the whole process…"

"I removed all of the safety protocols from the spell, making it work faster".

"The safety features? Isn't that a bad idea?" Jago shrugged.

"Well if I had mucked it up, it would have cause a volcanic eruption that would have rivalled that caused the Permian mass extinction and killed somewhere between seventy and ninety per cent of life on Earth". Weth paled.

"That's if you had screwed up? Bloody Hell!"

"Yep. Good thing I got it right then". At this point, the Gate made a noise to indicate that she was ready.

"Ok, I'm calibrated. Now let's get this over with" Jago nodded and he hefted his heavy stick in one hand, cupping the hilt of his khukuri with the other.

"Alright then. Ready Weth?"

"Ready" said the ex-Praetorian, holding her claymore across her shoulder.

"Good. Now let's go".

8888

With a crackle of energy, the Judgement Gate opened into Heimdall's glade, filling the space with purple energy. Jago stepped through followed by Weth, preparing to be met by Heimdall upon their arrival. But Heimdall wasn't there. Instead, a pair of shocked looking Praetorians were stood guard in front of the Gate, their poleaxes held loosely in their hands. However, upon their arrival, the pair quickly snapped to attention and readied themselves to fight.

"Paladin!" one snapped as they levelled their weapons at him and Weth. "By the authority vested in us by High Lord Deaderuss, we hereby arrest you and your accomplice on the charge of high treason!" Jago snorted, trying hard not to laugh.

"You can bloody well try!" he said and then, before they could react, he raced forward, spinning his staff overhead. The blow caught one Praetorian in the ribs, which cracked even under her thick armour and she let out a brief cry before Jago silenced her with a hard, one-handed thrust to the vocal cords. He finished her by bringing his stick down hard on her helmet, causing a resounding in clang that would have left her ears ringing if she had still been conscious to hear through them. He then quickly turned was just in time to see the second Praetorian turn and thrust her poleaxe at him. He nimbly side-stepped and allowed the blade to slice past him before reaching around and grasping the haft, tucking it under his arm. Then, with a final move, he jerked her weapon forward, pulling her off balance and her face straight into his fist. He grunted as the face plate of her helmet gave way beneath his fist, caving in on her face and leaving her, if not dead, then at least permanently brain dead, as pieces of metal punched through her skull and into her frontal lobe. He then released her and she collapsed, letting her drop forward and fall to the floor. Weth in the meantime was stunned. This little spat had all occurred in the time it had taken her to draw her sword.

"How the-" she started to say but Jago headed her off.

"I may not have Lamb's strength any more but I still have her reflexes. I guess some things never really change". He then turned and strode over to the first Praetorian, who was lying on the floor not far away. "She was at the beach" he said simply, recognising her as one of the ones who had been restraining Damascus. Then, with a roar of rage, he stamped down on her throat, breaking her neck and killing her instantly. Weth gave a little gasp as he turned away from his victim, appalled by this sudden display of ruthless brutality.

"Why-"

"I'm only going to kill the ones at the beach. The rest… maybe break a few limbs". Weth looked horrified; a Praetorian she may be but she had never seen anything like this before. Jago really was a berserker.

"Killing comes easy to you, doesn't it?" she asked cautiously but Jago shook his head.

"It just comes. Easy has nothing to do with it". But then he paused as a sound began to echo through the forest towards them. Warning sirens. "And it looks like they now know we're here" he said with a sigh. "So much for stealth". And he drew his khukuri. "We'd better get moving".

8888

"Ah…" Jago said. "They mobilized faster than I thought". And indeed, the forces of Heaven had mobilized quickly, for once he and Weth emerged from the great forest that surrounded, they were met by a most impressive sight. Arrayed before them were the entire massed ranks of the Valkyrie corps, all seven-thousand of them, their stark white and blue combat leathers reflecting their grim faces, while their weapons glistened wickedly in the sunlight. Behind them, in their multi-coloured hues of their various specialities, were the Auxiliaries, all looking nervous and most clutching various different sizes of hammer and the Trainees who, despite carrying the same gear and uniforms as their Mistresses, lacked the confidence of the more experienced Valkyries. And there, scatted in amongst the forces they commanded, were the Praetorians, their white capes and skirts flapping in the wind, while the sun shone brightly off of their scale-mail and the wings of the their helmets as they strode confidently amongst the ranks. Suddenly, the ranks parted and a group of said Praetorians emerged from between them, led by a one of the cohort commanders. They strode confidently across the field and stopped just short of the Jago and Weth, grinning a little.

"Lord Jago Finch, demi-god First Class, Paladin License, you are hereby place you under arrest on the charge of high treason against Heaven!" The Lady grinned wolfishly as she contemplated Jago and Weth. "If you choose to surrender yourself, that harlot who has been aiding you", Weth stiffened at the insult, "and Captain Lind of the first Valkyrie Cohort, then you will be taken into custody by myself and my fellow Praetorians until such point at which you are deemed fit to stand trial for your crimes".

"And if I refuse?" Jago asked. The Praetorian smiled.

"Then we will kill you on the spot".

"She really will" Weth said. "They show no hesitation in killing people who they consider to be traitors". She paused and eyed the Praetorians and then glanced across at the massed ranks of Heaven's army. "I hope you have a plan; there's more of them than there are of us. If we resist, we'll be confirmed as traitors and even if we defeat those Praetorians, we'd still need to fight off the entire Valkyrie legion. But if we surrender…"

"We'll probably be killed anyway". Jago paused. And he studied the ranks of the Valkyries. "But I think we might be in with a chance. If I can talk the Valkyries around, then there's a good chance the Praetorians will be forced to give up". Then he grinned. "Let's see how far we can get on improvisation. Safety in audacity right?" He then turned to face the Praetorian and then in the calmest voice possible but just loud enough for the massed ranks of the Valkyries to hear him, he simply said; "Get stuffed you Welsh tart! I'm no traitor!" He glanced at Weth. "She might be but I can't say that I blame her. No, if you want the real traitor, he's hiding away up in the central palace, too scared to come out and face me himself". He then raised his voice so that he was speaking directly to the crowd. "You all know the traitor! His name is Deaderuss!" The Praetorians looked furious and started reaching for their weapons but then they paused. For there was muttering from the ranks of the Valkyries, a way of dissent among the fighters.

"SILENCE!" the Lady shouted and mutterings ceased. "You dare insult our Lord, you miserable human! I should-"

"You should what? Set the Gleaners on me and kidnap the Almighty's daughter, separating her from her angel in the process? Cut off my angel's wings? Kill Cool Mint and while Lind is down, stab her so that she nearly bleeds out? Or just so she lost our baby?" He pulled a cigarette from his jacket and lit it, then blew the smoke in the face of the Praetorian who coughed. "Seems to me like there isn't really a great deal left that you can do to me… or should I say that I don't exactly have a lot left to lose". He paused and grinned before speaking to the crowd. "Now, I will inform you all, I intend to commit murder today. I am going to hunt down and kill every single fucking Praetorian who was on that beach and kill her. Deaderuss included. And once that's done, I'll be heading to Hell to do the same thing to those bastards". He took a long drag at the fag, finishing it in a single pull. He then flicked it away and continued onward, grimly. "Now I know what I just said isn't particularly pleasant but to be honest, I don't give a damn. It's the straight truth. What I can say though is this; I have no intention of harming anyone who wasn't there or anyone who surrenders to me before I engage them in combat. As soon as our blades meet however, you're dead. Now to all you non-Praetorian's, I have no intention of even coming near you. However, if you decided to fight for the Praetorians, you should know this; it will be a case of mind over matter. I won't mind and at the time, you won't fucking matter. I will cut you down just the same. So, what do you all say?" There was a general muttering again from the crowd, but this was much angrier than before and it was clear, much of the anger was directed at the Praetorians. The Lady however didn't seem to notice.

"Hah! You think you can frighten us with your bluster and sabre rattling! Valkyries! Take them!" She pointed directly at the pair with a smirk. However, the smirk quickly faded as she realised that the field had fallen deafly silent and turned to see the angry faces of the Valkyries directed towards her. "I said take them!" the Praetorian demanded but the Valkyries remained steadfastly in place. "TAKE THEM! OBEY ME, TREACHEROUS WHORES!" she shrieked but the Valkyries still wouldn't move. Finally, she turned away, a disgusted look on her face. "You're little trick appears to have paid off Paladin! But my Praetorians will kill you none the less!" With that, her blade came out, as did all of those of the Praetorian warriors and they advanced on Jago and Weth. However, there was a sudden shout from the crowd and all heads turned to see a crowd of figures making their way through the Valkyrie ranks.

"Belay that Hrunting! Or do you want a mutiny on your hands?" With that, the ranks parted and Valmeyar stepped out, at the head of a full squad of Praetorians, all bearing the insignia of the Fourth cohort. Hrunting glared daggers at the other commander, still gripping her blade in her hands.

"Valmeyar! How dare you interfere! You should be court-marshalled for treachery!" Valmeyar shrugged as her small group approached them, stopping just short of Lady Hrunting's force.

"Perhaps. But if you had continued with this course of action, it is likely that you would have had a full scale Valkyrie mutiny on your hands. Now I suggest that you your Praetorians stand down so that we may hear what the Paladin has to say. His allegations are pretty serious and I doubt that he would say such things without substantial evidence to back it up". Hrunting sneered at Valmeyar, raising her falchion in a threatening gesture.

"You are just as much a traitor as they are!" she said with a cry of victory. "The only reason that you would even consider this human to be telling the truth is in support of your daughter, a traitor just as much as he is! Why, if you had even an ounce of loyalty to our greatest Lord, Lord Deaderuss, you would see that-". Valmeyar shot forward, brandishing a twenty pound hammer in her left hand and a rapier in her right. Hrunting's blade came up and clashed against the hammer but Valmeyar's slim blade slipped through her guard and stopped, just pricking the other Praetorian's throat.

"Have you forgotten your oath Hrunting? Deaderuss may be the head of our order but the Praetorians owe their allegiance to nobody but the Almighty One! I am and always have been loyal to Lord Tyr and if you dare to question my authority again, you will have my entire cohort to answer to!" On cue, her team brought forth their weapons of choice; the huge, two-handed war hammers that gave their cohort their name and they stood, glaring at the other Praetorians, waiting for a signal from their beloved leader that would send them into combat against their own sisters, to death or glory. But then, Jago stepped in.

"Look, I don't have time for this" he said. "Either you let me kill these guys or you kill them yourselves; I don't care which. But I need to get on so…"

"But I still need proof that you are innocent Jago" said Valmeyar. "While I have no doubt of your innocence and that of my daughter, I have to be sure". Jago nodded.

"Put a call through to either Urd or Keiichi down on the surface. They can confirm my story and I doubt that you will find any more reliable witnesses".

"We can't" Valmeyar said. "There's a communication blackout in progress, under the orders of Lord Deaderuss. All Heavenly phones have been blocked from contacting any other device in any other world. If this had not been the case then we would have contacted you sooner in order to establish your side of the story". Jago nodded and reached inside his jacket, pulling his own phone from the inside pocket.

"Here, use this. It should still be good for making a call to Earth". He tossed it underarm and Valmeyar slung her hammer back across her shoulder and caught it in a single fluid motion. She flicked it open and speed-dialled the Tarikihongan Temple and quickly got an answer.

"Hello? This is Lady Valmeyar. Yes, Lind's mother. Yes Mr Morisato. Look, I need to talk to you urgently about the incident at the hotel and the beach… Oh. Yes, put her on". And with that, she got the words straight from the horse's mouth. Or rather, straight from Holybell.

8888

After a short period of time, Valmeyar clicked the phone closed.

"Well?" Jago asked as she tossed the phone back to him.

"Your story checks out. You fucked up fighting those Gleaners, which makes you a bloody fool in my books but you are certainly no traitor".

"She lies!" Hrunting shouted. "He must have forced her give that confession before going on the run! He-"

"Shut it!" Valmeyar barked, stopping the other Praetorian in her tracks. "You and your band are on thin ice as it is and I am your senior, even if I am not your superior! So you will be silent!" She then turned back to Jago. "Now, I can appreciate your sentiment. However, as a member of the Praetorians myself, I cannot condone the death of my fellow members and if you try to kill anyone, I and my warriors will be forced to stop you". Jago frowned and shook his head.

"Would it be alright if I simply beat the shit out of them instead?" Valmeyar nodded.

"Of course. Vengeance is frowned upon in Heaven but in certain cases, it is seen as a viable option. And considering the circumstances, I believe that this would count as a one of those special cases". Jago nodded and turned towards the Hrunting's Praetorians and then pointed at three of their number.

"You three; you were there. So I'll be having a crack at you three". He then paused and cocked his head towards Valmeyar as he received a mental message from Damascus. "My girls want to know if it's alright if they get killed by accident". Valmeyar frowned but nodded.

"If it's by accident".

"Good".

"You will not touch them, traitor!" Hrunting shouted and her Praetorians closed ranks around her, levelling their weapons at him. "Now surrender or you will face the consequences!"

"Consequences? My Archs will be dead in less than an hour! My son _is _dead! What more can you do to me?!" With that, he readied himself for combat, raising his staff and laying the blade of his khukuri across it. But then, around him, Valmeyar's Praetorians took their stand, raising their hammers into fighting positions.

"We are with you Jago, at least as far as the three you are aiming for. After that, you are on our own". Jago shrugged.

"Sounds fair to me". And then, he started the fight with possibly the most dishonourable, cruel and sly weapon in his arsenal. Harmless on Earth or to demons. But to goddesses, it was effectively a chemical weapon. Marmite.

8888

With a shout, Damascus rose from his back and with a single move, her arm shot forward and hurled the small yellow and black jar at the Praetorians. She disappeared back inside Jago as quickly as she had come, trying to prolong her and Lamb's life force for as long as possible but the sudden attack had exactly the desired effect. One of the Praetorians saw the oncoming object and with expert ease, she sliced the jar out of the air, splitting it cleanly in half. This was a mistake however, as the shattered jar released the sticky black go that it contained and it splattered wetly all over Hrunting's forces. And with a great shriek, they began to burn. Their skin blistered and boiled as if touched by acid and a number of them dropped their weapons to try and claw it off of their faces and hair. And this obviously left them open to attack. The moment that the blade had hit the jar, Jago had put his head down and ran, heading for the centre of the Praetorian horde. He was outnumbered thirty to one but it mattered little; they were still trying to recover from the sudden attack and were unprepared when he slammed into their ranks. He knocked one aside with his staff, rammed another in the face with the hilt of his khukuri and kicked the legs out from under a third. He kept fighting, bringing them down one by one until more than half of the unit had been dispatched, but then his plan unravelled as one Praetorian cast a rain spell, soaking them through and washing the last of the clinging Marmite from their skin.

"Kill him!" one shouted and Jago suddenly found himself surrounded by the entire remains of the unit, all wanting to exact their vengeance upon him. He paused as the surrounded him and raised their weapons… and then he winked at one. She caught his gesture and paused, just long enough for Valmeyar's dozen fighters to charge in, hammers swinging. They went down. Hard. A couple surrendered as the Foe-hammers struck home, the rest were simply beaten down. It was only afterward that they realised the casualties. One of the ones whom Jago had singled out had been killed; one from a blow to the head with his khukuri hilt which had caved in her helmet. He shook his head at the loss but was interrupted by a hand tapping him on the shoulder. He turned to see Weth, her face grey and her sword red.

"Yes?" he asked. Weth didn't answer, just pointed towards the stunned crowd of warriors. Jago turned to face them and he spoke with a heavy heart. "Two of them are captured. One I killed. If she was a friend or relative to any of you, I am deeply sorry. Fate appears to be dealing from the bottom of the deck today. If it makes you feel any better, once I have finished my mission here and then in Hell, I will most likely resign from my post as Paladin. I have been of little use as one so far and I will be even less so useful once my Archs are gone. For now though, I have a mission to complete". He hefted his weapons and sighed. "Now, does anyone have any objections to what I am about to do?" There was a pause and then, somebody stepped forward. She limped slightly on one leg still but she was as tall and strong as ever, her face set in a grim mask. Irpa.

"Did Deaderuss really cause Lind to lose her baby? And your Archs, has one of them really lost her wings?" Jago nodded.

"Yes to both. Lind is currently recovering in a safe house back on Earth whereas Lamb… she was hit by a de-winging blade. She'll be dead in less than an hour. And Damascus with her, as a doublet pair". Irpa was silent for a second and then she spoke up once more.

"To rob a goddess of her unborn baby and to de-wing an angel are two of the greatest crimes that can be performed in Heaven. As such, I think I speak not only for myself or me cohort but for every goddess here; we may not agree with your methods but you are doing what you think is right and just, so we cannot fault you there. How many Praetorians must you find?"

"Thirty-seven here in Heaven". Irpa nodded.

"Then we shall help you. On one condition that is".

"Yes?"

"Defeat Deaderuss". Jago nodded.

"But will you kill him?" somebody called out to a murmur of agreement. He shrugged.

"Somebody will probably die".

8888

Deaderuss growled in frustration as he paced his office in the high towers of the central palace. Everything was falling apart. Not only had Weth betrayed him and then escaped before he could kill her but he had been forced to stab Lind and the Paladin had somehow managed to escape after making a mockery of the Gleaners. He knew he should have stayed behind to deal with the human himself but he had too focused on dealing with Weth's treachery and Twoarchs had been allowed to slip away. It could only be assumed that somebody with full system access to Yggdrasil had somehow managed to put a call through to him before Deaderuss's scouts had arrived on Earth, giving him and Lind time to escape. It wasn't all bad new though. The Paladin was at least on the run, skulking in the shadows like the rat he was, cut off from his allies in Heaven by the communications blackout that he had ordered, while Deaderuss's denouncing of him as a traitor effectively gave his forces a free reign to operate against the Paladin. And better yet, the Arch had finally been killed! No angel could survive without her wings for long and even if Lamb had survived this long, she would not have long left to live. It would not be long now… a few days maybe, just long enough to distribute the weapons to the Jötunns and then they would be set to make their move on Heaven. Then he would rule Heaven and from there, he would bring back Kronos! And with his Lord returned, Deaderuss would finally get the one thing he had always longed for but had never been able to have… His eyes snapped open as he detected a rising noise coming from down below his office. He sighed and tapped a button on his loadstone radio.

"What's that noise?" he asked the Praetorian who was currently employed as his secretary. "It sounds like there's an angry mob outside. There was a moment's silence and then his secretary replied.

"There _is_ an angry mob outside" she said. "Just give me a second, I'll try and find out what's going on". The radio clicked off and Deaderuss sat quietly for a while, considering this strange noise until the radio clicked on again. "It would appear sir that the Paladin is leading a large group of Valkyries and Praetorians towards the palace, with the intention of hunting down every Praetorian who was involved in the, er… Gleaner incident". Deaderuss was silent for a second.

"The Paladin? Are you sure? He must surely know that any attack against me or my forces would be suicide, even with his precocious Valkyries on side! So why would he come here of all places, where I have the advantage?"

"Well, he appears to have stopped just short of the Praetorian cordon that has been established around the building and is shouting something up at you; some sort of challenge". Deaderuss scratched his chin and growled to himself.

"Patch me through to the security feeds. I want to see what's going on out there". He then turned to his computer and waited until the feed from the outside cameras was patched through to his machine. And what he saw shocked him. The noise he could hear was the Auxiliaries who were busy chanting something up at the palace. Beside them, the Valkyries stood, looking steadfast and grim as they stared across the courtyard that separated them from the Praetorian security teams. But there was a reason that the couldn't come any closer; the Praetorians had taken the civilians inside prisoner and were threatening to kill them if they approached too closely. Deaderuss's eyes then narrowed as he saw amongst the ranks of the Valkyries, the unmistakable silver and gold of Praetorian uniforms. Some were clearly prisoners. Some however…

"Those traitorous whores!" Deaderuss hissed to himself as he spotted Valmeyar in amongst her troops, with Weth close behind her. "So Valmeyar shows her true colours! I knew she was never to be trusted!" And then he spotted the one figure who he had least wanted to see; Paladin Jago. He watched the tiny image of Jago cup his hands to his mouth and shout something and then, very faintly, he heard an angry voice.

"Deaderuss! I'm calling you out!" And Deaderuss grinned.

"Should I tell the guards to disperse this crowd?" the secretary asked.

"No. Tell them to simply stand by until I get there. I will face the Paladin and his little coup myself".

"Very good sir". Deaderuss then stood and carefully plucked his katana from the desk, unsheathed it, checked the blade with his thumb and with a faint smile, he sheathed it once more.

"Very well Paladin" he said to himself. "You have more courage… or possibly stupidity… than I gave you credit for. Well then, let's see whether you really can be a challenge for me. Then maybe, I can have what I wanted. And once that has happened, I will take Lind for my own".

8888

With a fanfare the gates to the central palace opened and a new group of Praetorians emerged. These however were different from the normal ones; they wore the cloaks of gold instead of white and their entire faces were covered in solid gold masks.

"Who are they?" Jago asked Valmeyar.

"Knights of the Inner Circle. Deaderuss's personal bodyguards".

"A bit flashy aren't they?" Jago said. "If you needed to make an entrance, why not just roll in on a helicopter gunship, blaring classic rock music".

"Yeah, perha-wait, what?" Valmeyar said, confused but Jago ignored her as the Knights parted and the target of his rage emerged; High Lord Deaderuss, High Council member and commander of the entire military of Heaven.

"Deaderuss!" he called out. "You know why I'm here!"

"That I do Twoarchs. Tell me though, how many of my Praetorians have you killed?"

"Seven" Jago said. "That includes the pair who you had posted as Gate guards. So what happened to Heimdall?"

"He's been taken into custody. He was deemed a security risk due to his connections to his connections to the Captain". He then paused, considering something. "How did you get back here? Without Bifrost-"

"I hacked the Judgement Gate" Jago said. "I guess that makes me the only person who ever actually read his contract". Deaderuss paused at the mention of this but seemed to dismiss it. Instead, he turned his attention towards Weth.

"So I see that you really have joined up with the Paladin. I can't say that I'm really surprised; you were always a weak one. And the same to you Valmeyar. They say that great minds think alike, I guess the same applies for traitors too!" The two Praetorians glared daggers at the High Lord but Jago stepped forward, putting himself between them and him.

"Stop fucking with their heads Deaderuss" he said. "I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. But as I'm out of bubble gum, I guess I'll settle for killing you". But Deaderuss snorted, sneering at Jago.

"Kill me Paladin? How? Your Archs are either dead or very nearly dead and without them, you won't have the strength to face me".

"You're forgetting Jupiter".

"Your alter-ego? Hah! Something I also know about you is that it takes time for you to summon him. And time is something you don't have!" With that, Deaderuss shot forward, using a booster to put himself directly in front of Jago. And as he charged, he drew his katana, slicing across his body in a wide sweep. To his surprise however, the blade did not bite home into flash. Instead, it halted with a bone-jarring crack as it struck Jago's staff. "How the-"

"I've got Lamb's reflexes, even if I don't have her strength. And now, I am going to say my peace; you killed Cool Mint, you killed my baby, you're killing my angels and you nearly killed Lind. You're up against the worst kind of opponent…" And with that, he flicked his khukuri up with astonishing speed, catching Deaderuss on the face and opening up a shallow cut all along one cheek. He backed away, looking astonished as he wiped a thin trickle of blood from his face. "You see Deaderuss" Jago said, "I'm a man with nothing else to lose. So, ask yourself; do I feel lucky?" Deaderuss gave him a dumb look and then looked towards the grim faced crowd of the Valkyries. And then he growled. With a roar, the Praetorian flashed white and was suddenly surrounded by a halo like aura, his eyes burning like cold fire.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE A FOOL OF ME?" he demanded.

"Nope, nature beat me to it" Jago said. "Now come and get me!" And with that, the two blades met, at Paladin and High Lord prepared to fight to the death.

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Lord Sukaru worked meticulously with the tiny wire brush to clean the muck and dust out of the various cracks and crevices of his more complex arm-weapons. It was raining again, with the occasional roll of thunder from overhead but he didn't care. Jago had given him a mission and he would see it though. He had to protect Lind. It was at that moment that the Valkyrie in question gave a little sighing noise and he looked up as she stirred slightly. Quietly, he collapsed his cannon and then raised an eyebrow, activating the bio-scanner located within one eyeball to check on her condition. Starting at her head, he worked slowly downward, pausing if he spotted anything out of the usual. There were a few scars, mostly old ones but one or two from her recent battles against Jago and Gandamak. Some bruises. Unusually high hormone levels for a goddess but that could be put down to her body having not yet realised that the baby had been lost. And then he came to her womb. And with a shock, he stopped. It wasn't the wound that had been there, that had been almost completely healed, although it was still not completely repaired and could reopen if Lind strained herself too much. Not, what stopped the mighty Earth spirit, was the heartbeat. _A baby's heartbeat_. He leaned forward, intensifying the scan and trying to determine exactly what it was that he was seeing. This couldn't be! Lind's son was definitely dead! Both Urd and Mara had confirmed it with their own scans. So how could there be a heartbeat coming from there? He leaned as close as possible, his face almost to Lind's still naked stomach. And then he understood. This was not her son. This was something that would never have survived. A being who it seemed, had been given a reprieve. His scan was interrupted however as Lind stirred again and he leaned back as she opened her eyes and groaned.

"Jago? Is that you?" But then she realised who it was and her face fell. "Jeiko. I'm sorry, I thought you were…" Her voiced faded away to nothing.

"Lind, I have to tell you something-"

"Do we have any water?" she asked, sitting up slowly and smacking her dry lips. Jeiko paused and headed for the sink, returning with a battered tin mug of water which Lind accepted gratefully and drained in a single gulp. "Thanks" she said.

"Ok Lind, there is something that I really need to-"

"Where's Jago?" she suddenly demanded, cutting Jeiko off once more. And then she paused, remembering what had happened. "Has he gone after Deaderuss?" Jeiko nodded cautiously.

"Well yes but-"

"Oh bloody Hell!" Lind said, swinging her legs out of the bed and pulling her boots on. She then summoned her halberd and used it to help her to her feet. "That bloody, fucking idiot! If he survives fighting Deaderuss, I'll kill him myself!" She then reached back around to the bed and pulled on her black jacket before turning and heading for the door once more. However, desperate to stop her, Jeiko blocked her path.

"Lind, I really need to talk to you about something! This is important!" Lind frowned.

"Get out of the way Jeiko. I've already got one damned fool I need to kill. I don't want to make it two". Jeiko gulped a little but then straightened himself and pulled himself up, towering over Lind as she leaned heavily on her weapon.

"You aren't going anywhere until I've had a chance to talk to you! Now sit down and-"

"Try and stop me!" Lind said and then, with a swipe of her thump, she activated a booster and shot past him and out of the door, heading for the room.

"Why do I even bother?" Jeiko asked himself and then looked upwards. "Better take the short-cut" he said, morphing his arm into the giant cannon once more and then he fired vertically, blowing a hole through not only the floor above but every floor, all the way to the roof. "Now to stop a bloody massacre". And with that, he leapt vertically, sailing up and out of the building.

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"Come on Mistress" the Judgement Gate moaned. "It's cold and wet out here!" Lady Morgana LeFay, fairy princess and guardian of the Judgement Gate, sighed as she hovered in a sitting position, a laptop hovering in front of her and a pile of fish and chips on her lap, while using her wings to keep the rain off of her head.

"Look, I'm going as fast as I can but the Paladin really made a hash of this hack. Your systems are a real mass! So if you don't want me to accidentally turn you inside out or something, I suggest you let me get on with it!" She popped a chip into her mouth and sighed again but this was a sigh of content. "It's been too long since I've had good English food! Oh how I've missed fish and chips! It's just a shame that the weather hasn't changed at all". She chuckled a little to herself but then stooped as the Gate gave a sudden gasp and began to squeal.

"Did you see that!? Did you just!?"

"What?"

"Somebody just passed through me without permission! The bloody cheek!"

"Who was it?" Morgana asked.

"A Valkyrie! The bloody nerve!" The Gate's rant was suddenly interrupted as a huge blast tore a chunk of masonry free form the roof of the building and an Earth spirit emerged.

"Excuse me, you didn't happen to see a Valkyrie come through here just now?" Jeiko asked.

"Yes we bloody did!" the Gate snapped. "The little trollop just passed through me and-"

"Thank you!" he said and shot through the Gate before Morgana could stop him.

"Bloody Hell! They must think I'm the number ninety-seven bus!" the Gate said as she glowed indignantly. "Tell you what Mistress, just get me out of here! You can fix my systems when we get home! Right now, I just want to get the Hell away from this place! I've had more people inside me today than a half-pound whore!"

"Alright, alright, I'll get you out of here!" Morgana said with a resigned sigh. "I was hoping to visit Tintagel again but if you insist…"

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"Is this all you have Twoarchs?" Deaderuss asked snidely as he tossed Jago aside to a great groan from the crowd. "Is this really all that you can muster? I have to say that I'm disappointed. Without you Archs or you alter-ego, you're no match for me. How in the world did you ever come this far?" But Deaderuss was surprised as Jago pushed himself up onto one knee.

"I'm not dead yet you bugger" he said, breathing heavily.

"But you soon will be" Deaderuss said simply. "So why don't you just surrender? It'll make killing you so much easier".

"Not a chance" Jago said but then stumbled, to be caught by Weth.

"What are you doing Jago? You can't beat him. All you're going to do is-"

"I have no intention of killing him". This caught both Weth and Deaderuss by surprise as Jago straightened himself.

"No Paladin? But why not?" Deaderuss asked mildly. "After all, if what you claim is true then I certainly deserve to be killed".

"Oh, I didn't say you would survive". And with a flash, he was up and thumped the Praetorian in the stomach, doubling him over. "I just said that I wouldn't kill you". And Deaderuss looked up to see Pluto's copper eyes glaring down at him.

"Who are-"

"Brother Pluto, at your service. But I'm still not the one who will kill you". Then his eyes switched to red.

"And I'm Jupiter". With that, he grasped Deaderuss by the back of his head and pulled the tall Praetorian back up, only to head-butt him full in the face. "But I'm not going to kill you either. And neither is she". With that, Damascus appeared and sliced his face with her claws before driving him back with a Concussion Blast. But the crowd quickly realised something; the Arch looked exhausted. Almost like she had been using a great deal of magic…

"No, the one who will kill you, is the one you have tried to kill so many times before" Jago said, reverting back to his usual personality. "And that's why I fought you Deaderuss. Not to kill you, but to test you. To see just how strong you are".

"What are you talking about human?" Deaderuss demanded, his face running with blood. "That other angel of yours will die as soon as she emerges!"

"Oh yeah? Well this is one lady who's not for turning!" And then he paused, rolling his shoulders. "I don't think you two have ever been formally introduced; come on out Lamb!" With that, there was a flash of light and Lamb appeared behind him, to a cry of horror from the crowd. Lamb really was in a state. She was pale and sickly looking, her dark hair limp and her back still trickling with blood. But her eyes glowed amber with rage as she hovered beside her Master, staring down the Praetorian Lord.

"You're a bastard Deaderuss" she spat. "It was you who killed my Mistress! You came to Earth and tried to kill her yourself! And then you've tried to kill me! What have I ever done to you? Well Deaderuss? Well?" Deaderuss gritted his teeth and growled with nervousness, confronted with the consequences of his work. "Well I'll tell you; tried to kill me for what I know. Even with my mind sealed, you couldn't risk me living so I had to die. But you were too cowardly to do it yourself. So you took my wings, in a moment of selfishness, just to get to Lind. I could forgive you for something like that to me… but you went too far. You hurt my friends, you hurt my sister," waving her hand towards Damascus, "you kill Cool Mint and you take our baby! And all to silence me? Well I will tell you this Deaderuss; I will not go quietly into the night! Now it is your turn to suffer as I have!" And then she rolled back her head, gave a deep groan which slowly built into a shriek, as the flesh of her back began to bubble and boil. And then, her wings erupted from her back. Her Arch-wings. They were vast, bigger even than her Prime form wings and appeared to be made of huge shards of stained glass that sparkled in the sunlight. And then she grinned. "So then No-wings, I believe we have a score to settle…" With that, she grasped Jago's khukuri from his unresisting hand and she launched herself at Deaderuss, wind-milling with the big blade. It was time for the Fighting-Archangel to take her revenge.

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To use the term "like an avenging angel" would have completely accurate when describing Lamb's battle against Deaderuss. Her huge wings launched her towards him, flashing a million hues as she charged. Deaderuss had his katana in hand and tried to block her first attack but could do nothing but watch in astonishment as Lamb's double handed chop brought Jago's khukuri down on the thing sword and shattered the black blade with a sound like tickling bells. She then reared back and punched Deaderuss in the face, knocking his helmet from his head and hacked down with her knife, gashing his forearm. Deaderuss had now recovered however and struck back at her, aiming a kick at her shins while simultaneously aiming a chop at the side of her head. Lamb blocked with her forearm as Deaderuss reached for his own close combat weapon, a short wakizashi blade that he drew from beneath his cloak and sliced at her, missing her body but catching the shining glass of one wing. The wing shattered as the blade passed through it and for a spilt second, Deaderuss thought he had won. But before his eyes, the glass of Lamb's wing reformed, piecing itself back together without so much as a blemish.

"Not this time mate!" she said and then launched herself at him again. And Deaderuss began to panic. He had thought himself invincible. He knew that he could match Lind, even with the powers provided to her by motherhood. But this angel… she was unstoppable. She was fast; faster than anyone he had ever seen. He thought he had seen the extent of her skill and speed in Jago's duel against Lind but in reality, Lamb had been holding back. He thought he had a measure of her strength. But Lamb was stronger than anything he had yet faced; stronger than a Gleaner, maybe stronger than a Titan! And she was angry. Not the rage of an adrenaline fuelled moron but the cold fury of a determined warrior. One who was determined to kill him. And he was losing this fight, death by a thousand cuts. His arms were gashed all to pieces where Lamb had seen and opening and hacked at him with her khukuri and he was bleeding heavily from a stab to his ribs. He needed to put some distance between himself and the Arch if he was to survive this. Perhaps if her could catch her with a sufficiently powerful spell? So with a shout, he leapt skywards, sailing upward in order to escape Lamb. "Oh no you don't!" she shouted and with a single beat of her wings, she rocketed skywards, determined to catch her tormenter. Wounded she may be, with several deep cuts of her own, but she was determined to defeat this man. After all, she was still dying.

"How did she do that?" Weth asked, as they watched Lamb follow Deaderuss skywards. "I thought Deaderuss cut off her wings".

"He did" Jago said. "But he missed something; Archs have two sets of wings. It's what sets them apart from normal angels. They have their outer wings, which are the ones you see and they provide the link to their Master or Mistress. However, they also have a second set… their true wings, in the same way that goddesses have their true form. And they act as an Archs power conduit, siphoning power from their surroundings and effectively turning it into fuel. Now normally, these wings are sealed but when Deaderuss used that knife on her-"

"It broke the seal on her inner wings" said a voice from behind them. They both turned to see someone who shouldn't have been there and they both quailed as they had never seen her so angry before. It was Lind. She looked exhausted, with the front of her uniform still torn and stained with blood but looking all the more imposing as she strode between the ranks of her fellow Valkyries. "Is that why Damascus looks so exhausted? She used her power to draw out Lamb's true wings?" The other Arch nodded.

"Yes. Lamb knows she was dying and she wanted to make sure that before she went, that Deaderuss was no longer a threat to anybody. Unfortunately, I had to use my own power to help draw out her wings and it has left us both drained". Lind nodded and then stepped forward, coming to stand beside Jago. And she punched him forcing him to double over.

"That was for being a bloody fool!" she said. "What would I have done if I had lost you?" Then she hugged him. "I've lost enough today, I don't want to lose you too". Then she paused and releasing Jago, she turned to Damascus. "Hang on, you said she KNOWS she's dying. Hasn't brining out her true wings saved her?" Damascus shook her head sadly.

"By bringing out her wings, I've prolonged her life by a few minutes as she can siphon energy directly from the environment. However, in order to survive she NEEDS her outer wings as no angel can survive without a connection to her Master. And that's what's gone; her connection to Jago". Damascus looked skywards where the multi-coloured flashes of Lamb's great wings streaked across the clouds, chasing the tiny white streak that was Lord Deaderuss. "She hasn't got long… I should know. When she dies, so do I".

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Lamb narrowed her eyes as she focused in on Deaderuss, pouring on the speed as they roared across the sky with the speed of fighter jets. She saw Deaderuss glance back towards her and then put on even more speed, which she matched perfectly. With a colossal bang, they went through the Mach, and with a grim smile, Lamb realised she was closing in on her opponent. But then she realised that she was being drawn into a trap again; Deaderuss was trying to get her going too fast and then he would launch some kind of killing curse at her at the moment that she couldn't dodge.

"So that's you game is it?" she said. "Well two can play that game!" She hauled her wings back and shot forwards, overtaking Deaderuss at more than Mach three point one, much to the confusion of the Praetorian.

"What's she doing?" he whispered to himself as the glass winged angel rocketed past him at a speed only otherwise seen by MIG 25s. But then he realised that he didn't care. He had a perfect shot so he prepared to take it, aiming his spell directly between Lamb's shoulder blades and prepared to release it. But then Lamb got him. Suddenly, she snapped open one wing, spinning herself around it like a pivot and coming to an almost instant halt. And then, as Deaderuss roared by, she held out an arm, pulling perfect Darwin Coat Hanger tackle. At normal running speeds, this would have been bad for Deaderuss. However, he flew face first into Lamb's arm at a speed greater than that of sound. His skull connected with a crash like a gunshot , spinning him away from her and he dropped, three miles vertically until he hit the ground. Lamb, completely unfazed by the entire thing, descended gracefully, landing beside him. And then she lifted the Praetorian by his head, pulling him to his knees. And she punched him.

"That was for my former Mistress!" she said and then, she grasped Deaderuss by his collar, pulling him back up. "That was for Lind!" punching his face again and dragging him back up. "That was for our son!" And then, pulling him up a final time, she pulled Jago's khukuri from her wrap, tightening her grip on the hilt. "And this… THIS IS FOR ME AND MY MASTER! DAS VIDANIYA!" And with that, she swept the blade down, aiming for his skull.

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"Don't do it Lamb!" Lamb's blade stopped an inch from Deaderuss's skull and all eyes turned to see who had spoken. All eyes then fell on Weth. Lamb regarded her coldly and Weth gulped. "You-you can't kill him" Weth said hesitantly. "You just can't".

"And why not?" Lamb asked coldly. "You can see what he has done to me… and what he did to me in the past. He killed my Mistress, Lady Serenity and has tried to kill me so many times. Now he's finally managed it; my body just hasn't realised I'm dead yet. So I think that I am owed this much". But Weth shook her head.

"You're just as much the Paladin as Jago is. But does being the Paladin entitle you to be an Arbiter as well? Think on that, Astrakhan Lamb. Yes, he has done terrible things to you and your friends… but does he really deserve to die? At the very least, he should be given a fair trial in front of the High Council. You can't just kill him!" Lamb looked disgusted. She turned away, Jago's blade in hand and faced Deaderuss once more. But then another voice made her turn back.

"Lamb, she has a point. I was dead set on killing him myself but now… he's beaten. We've won. Kill him if you must but…" The voice faded away. And Lamb felt a tear flow down her face as she looked back down at Deaderuss. For it was Jago who had spoken. And she knew in her heart, that what Jago said was true…

"You're a bastard Master!" she said with frustration and stuffed his khukuri into the waistband of her wrap before turning back to Deaderuss. "High Lord Deaderuss, on the Authority of my Master, Paladin Jago Finch, I hereby arrest you on the charges of de-winging, murder, attempted murder and high treason. You are to be held by members of the Fourth Praetorian Guard, due to the unreliability of the other cohorts, until such time as the High Council consider you fit to stand trial". She paused and leaned close to the bleeding god, lifting his chin with one hand. "I would kill you myself but you aren't worth either the time it would take to strike you down". She then flicked away his chin and turned to face the crowd. "Deaderuss is undone. We've won". There was silence for a second and then they erupted into cheers.

"LAMB! LAMB! LAMB!" the crowd roared as they surged forward surrounding her and master.

"You done good" Jago said. "You done good". Lamb smiled and gently hugged her Master, Damascus and Lind".

"Thank you" she said. And then, very slowly, she collapsed.

"Oh shit!" Jago said. "Lamb? Lamb, speak to me! LAMB!" But it was too late. Lamb's magic had given out. She was dead.

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"Where am I?" Lamb said to herself. It was dark, wherever it was and it felt empty. But it was warm. In fact, it was almost tropical in feel. And the air smelled faintly of smoke. It was similar to the smell of Jago's cigarettes but stronger and with a distinctly different smell. And then she heard a set... no, two sets of footsteps. And… reggae music? And then somebody spoke. A man, with a Jamaican accent.

"Hey man, what's this one doing here? She's ain't supposed to be here yet". She couldn't see the speaker, whoever he was but Lamb tensed. For she could sense him and what she sensed wasn't natural… something… wrong. "Still, rules is rules. If she here, we gotta collect her". But then she heard a second voice. This was a woman's; cool, soft and smooth as silk.

"I know this girl. In fact I know her well. We should let her go. We've got enough here for now without her".

"Come on woman, you know the rules. If she's here, I gotta take her. Else people start thinking I'm untidy".

"Oh come now D, you can surely let her go for now? It probably won't be long until you see her again anyway…" Lamb felt nervous but somehow, she recognised the woman's voice and it calmed her. It made her feel at peace. It was almost like she knew this person… but she couldn't remember her. Finally, whoever this "D" was, he sighed.

"Alright, just this once. I'll let her go back. But next time, this one's mine!" And then, with a shriek of agony, Lamb disappeared into a blinding light. She felt like she was being burned alive and she screamed. And then it stopped. She opened her eyes. And she smiled. There above her, smiling down at her, was Jago.

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"Alright there lass?" Jago said, gently pulling Lamb into a seated position. "We thought we'd lost you there for a second". Lamb smiled and then threw herself around his neck, crushing him too her.

"Oh Master!" she said.

"Ur Lamb, choking here! Not breathing!" Lamb released him and he leaned back, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry" she said. And then she realised something new; her glass wings were gone. Instead, a brand new pair of feathered wings stuck out proud from her shoulders, their twenty foot span magnificent in its breadth and beauty. "How…?" she said slowly, gently running her hands through the soft feathers, looking confused.

"The Almighty One" Lind said, kneeling down slowly. "He saw what you did to apprehend Deaderuss and in return, he restored your wings. It's something that only the Almighty can do; restore an angel who's wings have been clipped. Looks like we have friends in high places". It was just then that they heard a shout and there was a sudden flash of light. More shouting echoed around the courtyard until eventually, the Almighty appeared, his face like thunder.

"That little traitor!" he snarled to himself.

"What's happened?" Jago asked, making the Almighty turn to him.

"Paladin… is she recovered?"

"I'm good" said Lamb, waving at him. "Thank you my Lord. You saved me". The Almighty waved his hand, dismissing it.

"Don't mention it" he said.

"So what's happened?" Lind asked.

"I was talking to Deaderuss just now, discussing his trial and he went into a rage, trying to attack me. However, before he could reach me, Weth tackled him and then they both disappeared. The bastards are gone!" Jago sighed.

"I should have known better than to leave Weth alone" he said. "Still, I doubt there is any more that those two can do. Now, have you sent someone to contact Hild about Angrboða and her treachery?" The Almighty nodded.

"Yes. Now, I know this is sudden but I need your assistance Paladin, for a mission of the highest importance".

"And what's that?"

"I want you to rescue my daughter". Jago paused and then glanced first at Lind and then at Lamb.

"Alright" he said. "But I'm going to need a drink, a wash and a change of clothes". The Almighty nodded.

"That's fair. You may return to the temple for now. We'll contact you when we're ready for you".

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Keiichi sighed from his seat in the back of the Tanngrisnir and pulled off his ring as he had done dozens of times that day.

"Belldandy" he whispered softly and the centre of the ring shimmered, becoming an image of his wife. She appeared to be sleeping for now. But he knew the truth; she was still unconscious after having Holybell forcefully removed. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt the hand gently come to rest on his shoulder. He turned, almost dropping the ring and saw it was Holybell herself sat right behind him.

"Don't worry" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We know my Mistress is ok. If she were in any kind of trouble, we would know about it".

"I'm sorry Holybell. I just can't stop thinking about her. And our baby. What if something happens to them and I can't do anything to prevent it? What-". He was stopped instantly as the angel clamped a hand over his mouth and he realised she was looking over his shoulder to a spot further down the plane. He turned and saw Lind, her head held low. Her new uniform was spotless and her halberd was across her legs but she was shaking, almost imperceptibly. Crying, She had heard every word he had said "Oh" he said. "Should I go and talk to her?" Holybell shook her head.

"No. You have to understand; Lind has just lost her baby. The chances of her ever having another are slim to none, especially if Jago is her lover… he may now be immortal but he'll probably be killed in combat before it happens. All we can do is just leave her for now and-"

"I can hear you even when you whisper Holybell" Lind said suddenly. "I'm fine. I just…" She didn't finish.

"I'm- I'm sorry Lind" Keiichi said. "I-".

"Forget it Keiichi. I'll get over it. I mean, it's not like Jago and I had even got around to name him-it". She cleared her throat and pushed her hair back behind her ear. And then, much to their surprise, she pulled the most enormous red and white spotted handkerchief from the cleavage of her uniform.

"That's…" Keiichi said, surprised. Of all the things he expected of Lind, he didn't expect her to carry an enormous, colourful handkerchief around with her.

"I know, it's not what people expect of me" Lind said with a faint smile, dabbing her eyes and then stowing it up one sleeve. "But I saw it one day and thought; that's so against my usual character, if I buy it and carry it around, it'll make Jago laugh. And it does. Every time". Keiichi nodded and gave a faint smile. Just then, they heard Skuld make an announcement from the cockpit;

"Ok everybody, we're here. Touching down in three, two, one, NOW!" With a thump, the Tanngrisnir settled down and the engines slowly cut out. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the city of Valhalla, P.O. box one, Avalon. We hope that you have enjoyed your trip and will chose to fly Air-Skuld for all your future flights to all recently resurfaced sunken islands".

"I told you!" they heard Jago say, "It's Careless Airways!"

"I'm the pilot this time! So it's my airline!" Silence.

"Fine, you win. But I fly on the way home!"

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Valhalla. The ancient city of the gods on Earth. A beautiful monument to the world. Nestled on the tiny island of Avalon, it was a shining pearl of burnished marble in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. However, during the last war against the demons, the island had been lost, sinking beneath the waves, lost to the world. Until now. The appearance of Juggernaut had signalled the rediscovery of the island and now, finally, they had a reason to raise it from the depths. And this was why the little group trudge slowly over the weed and silt covered rock, trying to ignore the ruined buildings that surrounded them. Eventually however, they spotted what they were looking for; the High Council.

"You made good time" the Almighty said. "And it's good to see you all. Especially you Urd. I haven't seen you for years".

"Yes father" she said curtly.

"If I might interrupt" Jago said, "but I believe you brought us here for a reason. So if we could get on?" The members of the council nodded.

"Well we should really wait for Lord Sukaru but nobody seems to know where he is. As it is however, we should be able to reactivate it without him". Jago nodded.

"Alright then. In that case; Lamb, Damascus, come on out. I need you two to keep an eye on the others while we sort this out". The pair emerged and nodded, floating over to the little group.

"Right then" said an exasperated looking elf. "We'd better get on with it. The Death Gate isn't going to reactivate herself".

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Jeiko gasped as he reached the door to the central palace and staggered inside.

"Damn that girls fast!" he said. "And why the Hell did they move the Gate portals all the way out there!" He swore to himself as he headed towards the reception desk where a startled looking clerical goddess suddenly found an exhausted looking Earth spirit leaning on her counter.

"Hello?" she said nervously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes" he said. "I was wondering if you could tell me where either Captain Lind or the Paladin are at this moment in time. And please be quick; I've just run nearly fifty miles to get here and it's HOT out there". The goddess nodded and checked her computer before looking back at him.

"They appear to have joined a High Council meeting on… Avalon".

"AVALON! But why would they be holding a meeting there of all places?"

"It's probably about the Paladin's angel defeating Deaderuss on her own… either that or the Almighty's rescue mission for Belldandy". Jeiko sighed.

"Oh very well" he said and he turned to leave.

"Excuse me but you wouldn't happen to be Lord Sukaru would you?" the secretary asked. Jeiko paused and turned back.

"Yeah, that's me".

"Ah, they said they were expecting you. In that case, you had better take these". The goddess reached under her desk and pulled out a pair battered looking boots from beneath the surface. Jeiko groaned as he realised what they were.

"Seven League Boots? Seriously? I thought those things were retired".

"I was told to give them to you. Apparently, the Captain was expecting you but she didn't have time to wait for you. So I suggest you hurry. Oh and you'd better take a receipt". Jeiko groaned as he carried the boots and outside, strapping them onto his feet.

"The things I do for that girl" he said. And then he yelped as he took a step and was catapulted twenty-one miles from his starting point.

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Damascus sighed as she watched the discussion between the High Council as they discussed what needed to be done.

"Alright Damascus?" The devil jumped as an angel settled herself beside her and for a moment… but no. It was Spear Mint.

"I'm alright" Damascus said. "I'm always alright, it's just the rest of the world". Spear Mint sighed and shuffled up beside her.

"You're thinking about her aren't you?" she asked. And Damascus hung her head in shame.

"I miss her. I miss her so much. I…" She stopped and leaned her head gently against Spear Mint's shoulder, weeping a little. Spear Mint nodded a little and wrapped the big devil in her wings.

"I know, I know. I miss my sister too. And so does Lind. And Lamb and Jago. But we have to be strong for now. If we break down, there's no way we can ever help those who need it… and right now, that's Belldandy and her baby. The best way to remember her is by saving _them_ but for that, we must be strong. Now please Damascus, dry your eyes. We need to be strong… for Lind and Jago". Damascus nodded and wiped her eyes on the bust of her wrap, pulling a weak smile at Spear Mint.

"Yeah, you're right. I can cry later. Right now, I need to focus on how I can help get Belldandy back". And then her face darkened. "And maybe kill a few Gleaners in the process". Spear Mint smiled.

"Now that's my girl!" she said and then she paused as she spotted Jago making his way over to them. And she snorted when she saw his t-shirt. "Seriously Master Jago C.L.I.-"

"Yes… It's the only clean one I could find. It's an army one. Stands for Combat Line Installation Team. Not one of their better acronyms but… (*1)" He shook his head. "But right now, that's not my biggest worry. You see, we have a problem".

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The Land of the Dead. That's where the Gleaners had gone. That is why they had had to raise the lost island of Avalon. It was where the Death Gate was located, the portal to the Land of the Dead. However, there was a problem. Beings who were born immortal were unable to enter the Land of the Dead or they would have their immortality stripped away. Angels were fine, they were extensions of the soul but it would be dangerous for them to enter the world alone. This meant that just two could go; Jago and Keiichi.

"But it's too dangerous!" Skuld said. "If something were to happen to you or Holybell then Big Sis would-"

"We know the risks" said Holybell said, hugging her Mistress's little sister. "But you needn't worry. Jago will be with us. And so will be Lamb and Damascus. Trust me; not even the Gleaners stand a chance against us, especially if Jago brings out Pluto or Jupiter".

"But Holybell…"

"Be strong Skuld. I'll be alright. But there is something you could do for me…" She glanced across at Lind as Jago pulled the Valkyrie into a tight hug. Skuld caught the look and nodded.

"Ok" she said, holding back tears. "I'll try". Holybell smiled.

"Thank you Skuld".

"Now you take care of yourself you hear?" Urd said. "I don't want to have to come in after you and drag you sorry arse out of the fire". Holybell smiled at her Mistress's older sister.

"Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it".

"I was talking to Keiichi". It was then that they heard Jago's voice. It was time to leave.

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With a grunt, Jago and Keiichi stepped through the portal and disappeared.

"Well that's that" said Hild. "Let's hope they make it back soon". And with that, one by one, the members of the High Council disappeared, until only one remained.

"Don't worry Lind, they'll be back". Lind turned to see her mother, recently promoted so that she was now the head of the Praetorians, replacing Deaderuss. And for the first time in years, Lind hugged her mother.

"It's too much mother. Jago is going into the most dangerous place in the entire multiverse and I CAN'T go with him… and... I'm scared mother. I can't afford to lose Jago. Not after what happened to Cool Mint… and my son!" Valmeyar remained silent, simply holding her daughter and gently ran a hand through her hair, fully understanding how her poor daughter felt and wishing that she could do more for her. But then they both sensed something. _Something_ was coming. They both spun and turned to see a Gate appear behind them. A second later, they had their weapons in hand and were read for a fight. But then they were surprised by as Jeiko stepped through the portal, panting.

"Lind! Thank… god! I've… been… running… for hours!" He took a deep breath and straightened himself. "And who's idea was it to leave me Seven League Boots? You know how much they strain the crotch?" He stopped and started panting again, almost doubled up in exhaustion.

"Sorry" said Lind, stowing her halberd once more. "I would have stuck around but I needed to get to Jago and then the Almighty-"

"I get it" the Earth spirit said. "Now let me please explain something to you…" And so he did. He told Lind… about her daughter.

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Weth gasped as she and Deaderuss stumbled out into the snow of Jötunnheim. She had never tried to transport someone other than herself before and it had strained her almost to breaking point. However, as she straightened herself, Deaderuss tripped her and flung her to the ground, pressing his wakizashi against her throat.

"You little snake!" he hissed. "You betrayed me once more! I could have killed the Almighty and –"

"You would have been killed yourself in second Master and the Praetorians would have been left leaderless! I saved your life so that you could continue with your plan!" Deaderuss scowled but sheathed his blade and stood.

"Perhaps you were right to do so. But Lamb still lives and now I am revealed".

"And Lady Angrboða. They know that she is a traitor too". Deaderuss growled and kicked at the snow. And then he grinned.

"Very well then. We make for the Jötunnberg! We will make contact with King Surtr and we will move our forces immediately. With luck, the Paladin will be on some ridiculous rescue mission to find the Almighty's daughter and they won't be ready for an invasion".

"But my Lord!" Weth protested. "We can't invade now! Our forces are scattered! We-we haven't even finished supplying the Jötunns with the human weapons yet! There's no way-"

"Silence Weth!" Deaderuss shouted. "I have forgiven you your treachery by running off to the Paladin. Perhaps I was a little too hard on you. But make no mistake; you pull a stunt like that again and I WILL kill you. Understand?"

"Yes my Lord" Weth said.

"Good. Now prepare yourself. WE MOVE NOW!"

*1 The sad thing is, this is completely true. This is a real army acronym.

Authors Note: One of my better chapters I think. And what a rollercoaster; Lamb nearly dies, Deaderuss is defeated but appears to be going on the warpath, Jago, Keiichi, the Archs and Holybell in the Land of the Dead and this mysterious daughter of Lind's. And I think I've proved that in the right hands, the khukuri is better than the katana. Wanna see what happens next? Well you had better stayed tuned!


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**Death has a Jamaican Accent**

Jago shuddered as he stepped through the Death Gate and into the Land of the Dead. Being simultaneously burnt and frozen was a sensation he would never get used to. Still, at least he was here. Then Keiichi emerged and the shorter man fell to his knees, coughing and retching.

"Are you all right Master?" Holybell asked him cautiously as he tried to regain his composure.

"Yeah, I'm good" he said. "But I feel kinda funny".

"You're not used to supporting two bodies at once, even if one of them is Holybell" Jago said. "She's sucking the energy right out of you, even though she's running mostly on Belldandy's love. You sure you don't want me to take her for now? I could jury-rig her to Lamb and-"

"No" Keiichi said. "Holybell is Belldandy's angel. If anyone is going to support her, it's going to be me!"

"Alright, suit yourself" Jago said but then reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a can of Dr Pepper. "But you'd better drink this. It'll keep your blood sugar levels up and should hopefully provide something for Holybell to run on. Consider it… high octane fuel". He tossed the can to Keiichi who caught it and downed it rapidly.

"Thanks".

"If you need any more, just say. I've got about another ten".

"What?" Holybell asked. "How? There's no way you can have all of those in your pockets, I've seen your jacket". Jago grinned and pulled aside one corner, revealing… a Dr Pepper bandolier?

"Emergency caffeine store" he said. "I was worried that Lamb wouldn't make it for long enough to take Deaderuss out and I would need to do it myself, so I thought that a little extra energy wouldn't go amiss".

"So you loaded up with a dozen cans of Dr Pepper?"

"And four of Chernobyly which is a _vicious_ Russian energy drink. Tastes like radioactive horse piss and is the same colour coming out as going in… which is worrying as it goes in bright green. But each one has enough additives to keep you awake for three days so…"

"You were crazy prepared, weren't you?" Keiichi asked.

"You could say that". Then Jago paused. "Right now though, we need to worry about other things. For example; where are we?" And for the first time, they looked around. To be honest, there wasn't really a lot to see. All that they could see was fog.

"Well it definitely looks like the land of the dead" Holybell said. "But which way are we supposed to go?"

"Well don't look at me" said Jago, peering about. "Fog's so thick, I couldn't find my arse with an atlas!" The three of them continued to stare out into the fog, each searching for some hint as to where to go.

"Hey, what's that?" Keiichi shouted, pointing out into the mist. The other two strained their eyes, trying to spot what Keiichi had seen and finally, they spotted it.

"Looks like a light" Jago said. "So… do we investigate? I'm not the one who's in charge here; Holybell has the looks and I have the muscle so I guess that means you're the brains Keiichi".

"_What about us Master?"_ Lamb asked from inside.

"_Resident trollop and ship's cat. Take your pick of who's who"_.

_"CHEEK!" _the Archs replied. Jago ignored them however and looked across at Keiichi.

"So mate? What's the plan?" Keiichi scratched his head.

"Well for lack of anything better to do… follow the light?" They nodded and slowly approached the light which steadily materialised into a small blue flame. "Whoa? What is it?" he asked, watching the tinny blue flame flicker in space.

"It's pretty" Holybell said, reaching out for the tiny flame. However, before she could touch it, Jago slapped down her hand.

"No! Don't touch it!" Holybell looked hurt.

"Why? What is it?"

"I'm not sure but if I were to make a guess, I would say… it's what we call a Will-of-the-Wisp, the leftover part of somebody who died far from home, usually in a swamp or bog". Keiichi paled.

"Are you saying that it's a GHOST!?"

"Yeah, pretty much. It is the Land of the Dead after all" Jago said, eyeing the blue flame. "The meaning of their appearance isn't always clear, even in Britain but they tend to be mischievous spirits that seek to lead travellers astray. But sometimes…"

"Sometimes?" Holybell asked.

"Just wait a second". Jago jogged off a few feet and then paused, crouching down and ran his hand across the ground. "Hmm". He then stood and jogged back across and past them, checking the ground once more. Finally he stood. "They just _might_ be the good kind. Because sometimes, the Will-of-the-Wisps would show travellers a safe path through a swamp and back to dry land. And believe it or not, within ten foot of either side of us is a swamp. A big one from the fell of things. So I guess we follow it and hope like hell it's not leading us into a trap".

"Follow it?" Keiichi said, looking confuse. "Follow it where?" Jago sighed and pointed.

"You two need to learn situational awareness. There's another one over there". And sure enough, right where Jago was pointing, was a tiny, distant light that flickered through the mist. "And as you said to follow it, I think we shall".

"Are you sure it's safe?" Keiichi asked.

"Probably not. But I can't see any other way to go".

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Cautiously, they followed the Will-of-the-Wisps, watching their step as the path steadily narrowed and the near invisible swamp closed in from both sides. Jago led the way, using his bulk to shield the other two in case of a sudden attack. However, no attack came and gradually, the mist faded until at last, they could see about twenty feet in either direction. It was then that they came to the river. It was black and murky, the mist seeming to cling to the surface like smoke over a mirror, with the occasional ripple on its sluggish surface, as if something below was stirring and rising to the surface, before sinking back down, unseen.

"Why would the Will-of-the-Wisps bring us here?" Keiichi asked, looking around. "All I can see is this river".

"The Styx" Jago said. "It's the river which separates the Land of the Dead from the rest of the world. To get to the Land of the Dead proper, we need to cross it".

"But how do we do that?"

"Well, traditionally, there's supposed to be a ferry-man but-"

"What's that over there?" Holybell asked, pointing towards a vague shape just on the edge of the fog, further along the bank of the river. They carefully approached and quickly discovered just what they were looking for; a jetty. But no boat. There was however a sign and a large, rusted bell.

"For ferry, please ring" Keiichi read. "Well it seems simple enough" he said. "So…"

"Wait a minute" Jago said. "Holybell, you'd better take cover".

"Why?" the angel asked.

"Well if my memory serves me correctly, the boatmen will charge us to be carried across the river and with you out…"

"He'll charge us more?" she finished to which Jago winked.

"Got it in one". Holybell nodded and she disappeared back inside Keiichi.

"Well then, here goes" Keiichi said, grasping the bell and tugging its cord. It rang with a clang, much deeper and louder than its size would suggest and it echoed across the flat water before finally fading into silence. There was a moment of silence as a gentle breeze seemed to stir the fog. And then, there came the sound of drums. It was a slow, steady beat that seemed to be coming closer and then, out of the fog, came a face. It was the snarling, fanged face of a dragon or some sort of monster, sitting high and proud of the water; the prow of a ship. And what a ship! It was over a hundred feet long and made of stout timbers, its sides adorned with mighty shields and great banks of oars that stretched along its length to the stern, which was itself fashioned into a great dragon's tail. High above, a high mast with a drawn in sail, wrapped securely around great crossbeam. Then the drums suddenly ceased and the oars rose vertical as the ship slowly drifted up to the jetty. And then, much to their surprise, half a dozen skeletons leapt from the deck of the ship and began lashing the vessel to the jetty… all chatting in Jamaican accents.

"Hey man, get that last tackle tied down!" one called out, catching a rope and tossing it to a second grinning skeleton.

"No problem man!" the second skeleton shouted, catching the rope and securely lashing it down.

"You two had better stand back!" a third skeleton called out cheerfully to Jago and Keiichi. "You be aboard in no time!"

"Who are these guys?" Keiichi asked nervously.

"Dunno "Jago said. "They weren't in any of the original stories". One of the skeletons heard them and turned to look at them, with as an annoyed expression on its face as was possible for someone without an actual face.

"Who are we?" WHO ARE WE? WE ARE THE SKELETON CREW BRO! We the ones who sail this thing!"

"I thought there was just one ferryman" Jago said mildly.

"Oh him? With all the peoples who's dying, he decided to get a bigger boat. Him's the Captain!" With that, a heavy gang-plank thumped and the skeletons snapped to attention as a huge, hairy Viking started to descend to the jetty. He then turned and faced Jago and Keiichi, gesturing for them to come over.

"Hello my friends!" he said, also in a Jamaican accent. "I'm Captain Charon, ferry-master for the river Styx. I'm guessing you be wanting passage across-". But he stopped and his eyes narrowed. "Hang on a minute… you guys ain't dead! What are you doing here?"

"We're here because-" Jago began but was interrupted by Keiichi who stepped up to the huge Viking, glaring up at him.

"My wife was taken hostage by Gleaners and we've come to get her back!" Charon leered down at him, his huge grey beard bristling.

"And how do you plan on doing that, human? You'd be no match for a Gleaner!"

"But what about the Paladin?" Jago stepped up and removed his Stetson, flashing the tiny hammer symbol on his forehead. "I'm here to help this man so-"

"You have no jurisdiction here Paladin so I suggest you put a lid on it!" the Captain snapped but then he frowned. "However, if you really want to go after this woman, I don't suppose that I can stop you". Then he grinned. "So long as you pay me". Keiichi nodded and reached for his wallet but Jago stopped him.

"You get paid when we get to the other side" he said.

"No! You must pay me now!"

"I don't think so" Jago said. "If we pay you, what's to stop you from stopping in the middle of the river and upping the price? No, if you want the money, you have to carry us across. THEN you get paid". Charon ground his teeth and growled.

"Fine!" he snapped finally, turning to the skeletons. "Prepare to cast off!"

"You got it man!" Keiichi and Jago followed the Captain up the gangplank and onto the deck of the ship, which was swarming with skeletons, all working to make the ship ready to sail.

"Is what you said true?" Keiichi asked as the last line was cast free. "Would he really have stopped halfway across and charged us more?"

"Dunno" admitted Jago. "But I do remember that there was an old song that said you shouldn't pay the ferryman or even fix a price until he gets you to the other side".

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The drum beat steadily at the rear of the ship, helping the banks of skeleton rowers keep pace as they went. Captain Charon stood at the rear of the ship, steadying their progress with a great tiller at the stern. Jago and Keiichi were perched on the bow of the ship, looking out through the fog straining their eyes, trying to spot their destination. However, they needn't have bothered. Not long after casting off, the fog had thinned completely and they could see all the way across to the far bank, nearly three miles away. It was then that Keiichi gave a yelp as he spotted something in the black waters of the river.

"Hey! There's a person in the water! I saw a face!"

"Well of course!" the Captain called out. "The Styx is where the souls of the dead go after they have been collected and processed. There's billions of them out there!"

"How big is this river exactly?" Jago asked.

"Even I'm not sure" Charon said. "You see that piece of land over there? That's not the far bank; it's an island. The river goes around both sides of the Land of the Dead and then continues on beyond the horizon. How far... I don't know. But don't touch the surface of the water or the souls beneath could grab you and pull me down to the depths!"

"I Belldandy down there?" Keiichi asked.

"Don't be stupid" the Captain said, pointing to the island. "No, if the Gleaners have her, she'll be over there, in the prison realm. But to get there, you'll have to talk to D. He'll take you there".

"And who's big D?"

"You'll see".

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As the ship neared the shore, both Jago and Keiichi were surprised. It looked like a tropical beach, complete with palm trees. There was a little beach hut further along the sand, thatched with palm leaves. Trees stretched across the island for as far as could be seen. And there, lounging on a deck chair in the middle of the beach was a man. He was very dark skinned; not just black but literally the colour of coal, almost as if when you touched him, he would leave dark streaks on you. He wore a tiny straw hat over his grey curls and a pair of sunglasses rested across his wrinkled face. He wore a tacky, bright pink shirt with a motif of skulls and a pair of cream shorts over his skinny legs, with a pair of ancient sandals over his knobbly feet. In fact, his entire body could be described as either knobbly, scrawny or bony for the man was incredibly thin, like a skeleton which had got itself stuck in a sack and decided that it liked the look. As the boat approached, he lowered his glasses a little and grinned.

"Hey Charon man! Got two more for me?" Like the rest of them, his accent was distinctly Jamaican but unlike the skeletons or the Captain of the ferry, his seemed more natural, as if he had actual been an islander at some point in his life. The Captain grinned as the ship approached the shore and called back to the man.

"Yah man! But these two is live ones! They say that they here to talk to you!"

"Living ones? Now that's new. Bring them ashore!" Five minutes later, the prow of the ship ran into the soft sand of the beach and Jago and Keiichi jumped down, followed by the Viking.

"Alright you two! Pay up!" Jago nodded and reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out four ancient copper coins.

"That should cover it" he said, passing them to the Viking who accepted them with a slight bow of the head. It was then that the skinny man approached, smiling.

"It's good to see some new faces around here man! It's kinda dead without them!" He then turned to Charon and grinned. "You wanna stay for a beer man? Or maybe you wanna joint? I just got some good stuff brought down from the Land of the Living". But the Viking shook his head.

"Sorry man, maybe later". With that, he hauled himself back on-board his ship and let out a mighty shout. "OK YOU BONE HEADS! BACK TO WORK! GET ROWING!" With that, the ship started reversing steadily away from the beach and then turned, before disappearing back into the fog. The skinny man sighed.

"He never bloody sticks around man!" but then he turned to Jago and Keiichi. "Ah well, at least I got somebody interesting to talk to for a while". With that, he swept off his little hat and bowed. "Hello man! They call me D! Welcome to the Land of the Dead!"

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Keiichi and Jago glanced at each other as the little man flicked his hat back onto his head.

"So what do they call the pair of you?" Keiichi cleared his throat.

"I'm Keiichi Morisato, We came here because-"

"And what about you man? Who does they call you?"

"I'm Jago. Jago Finch, demi-god First Class, Unlimited, Paladin License".

"Oh so you the Paladin! I had one of your girls down here just yesterday!"

"I knew it!" Suddenly, Lamb appeared behind Jago, glaring accusingly at the man. "You were one of those people I could hear when I nearly died yesterday! I thought I recognised your voice!" D smiled.

"Aye, that was me Miss Astrakhan Lamb" he said. "And don't look so shocked that I know your name. I know everything there is to know about you. About everybody in fact. I'm D after all!"

"What do you mean you're D?" Keiichi asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"It's short for my real name. I'm Death". They looked stunned.

"YOU'RE Death?" Lamb asked. "You're not quite what I was expecting". D sighed and pulled off his hat, running his hand through his short, curly hair.

"Well what were you expecting? A seven foot tall skeleton in a black robe and carrying a scythe? I don't do that crap no more man! You know how hard it is to be scary when you're constantly having to stop and reattach your knees with broken paper clips? And never mind the dogs! Besides, now I use a combine-harvester!"

"Oh" Lamb said, not quite sure how to respond.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a mood killer isn't it man". He frowned but then he brightened. "So… how about a beer? I got plenty in the fridge". Without waiting for a reply, D turned and headed off towards the little hut and reached bellow the bar, pulling out a few beers. "And bring those other girls out" he said, popping the cap of one with a bottle opener. "They must be parched". Nervously, both Damascus and Holybell appeared and D handed them each a beer.

"Thanks mate" Jago said, popping the cap off of his with one of his teeth. Damascus grinned and copied, using her long fangs to gain some extra leverage. Lamb shrugged and tried to copy but then yelped as she slipped, cutting her lip on the sharp edge of the cap. "Oh jeez lamb, are you alright?" Jago asked as she clamped a hand to her lip. "Here, let me see" he said, and gently removed her hand, inspecting the cut. "I should have warned you not to try that unless you've had practice, else you can do what you just did or worse, lose a tooth". He shook his head and gently wiped his thumb across her lip, healing the cut, before picking up the bottle, spinning it in his hand, popping the cap with his tooth and handing it to her. "I'll teach you how to do that some time ok?" he said.

"Well now that's sorted" D said, "I think we need to talk business. You guys are here for that goddess the Gleaners took right? Sargent Strange-Kickers? Well as far as I'm concerned, you can have her! She's spreading far too much happiness, even though she unconscious and it's upsetting the dead guys". He paused and took a swig of beer. "I must warn you though, it won't be easy getting her back. You see, if you put her angel back in," he glanced at Holybell, "she'll lose her immortality and die. So one of yous gonna have to carry her out of here".

"Well I can do that" Jago said. "Humping and dumping's what I'm good at". But D eyed him suspiciously.

"You sure about this? She may be a goddess and all but is she really worth-"

"YES!" shouted Keiichi. "Belldandy is my wife! We've been together for five years and I'm not letting some giant bat creatures keep her from me! Especially when she's carrying our baby!"

"And as it's my fault she's here in the first place, it's my duty to ensure she gets back alright" Jago said, draining his beer. "So let's get this over with". D sighed and drained his own beer.

"Alright, if you insist. Personally, I was hoping that you'd stick around just a bit longer. I don't often get to meet new people but I suppose that it's not really a problem". He then paused and looked at Lamb. "Just one thing though; she can't go just yet".

"Why not?" Lamb asked.

"Well there's someone who wants to talk to yous. An old friend of yours I believe". He paused and then glanced over Lamb's shoulder, towards the jungle that made up the interior of the island, before breaking into a toothy grin. "Speak of the devil, here she comes now". And then, floating across the sand of the beach, came a female voice. It was a voice that was soft and warm, like a sheet of velvet. And it was one that both Lamb and Jago recognised. But the last time Jago had heard it, it was a voice that had been filled with pain and sorrow. Lamb had heard it much more recently however. Only yesterday in fact. It had been when she had died and brought back to life; the voice that had talked D out of keeping her. She thought that she had recognised the voice then and now she realised why. It was because she knew this woman. She knew her better than just about anyone. And Lamb turned to see the raven haired goddess standing a few feet away, smiling at her angel for the first time in years.

"Hello Lamb" she said softly.

"Lady Serenity!" Lamb said, shocked. But then she remembered who she was talking to. And she bowed. "Mistress, it has been so long!" And with a sudden cry, Lamb embraced her former Mistress, weeping hard as she pulled her close. "I've missed you Mistress! I've missed you so much!"

"Oh Lamb… you silly girl. I've missed you too".

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Still weeping, Lamb took a step away from her Mistress, smiling through her tears.

"Oh Mistress! I've wanted to see you for so long! If it weren't for Master's wish-" But then her face fell and she hung her head, feeling ashamed by what she had just said. But Serenity gently placed a hand under her chin and lifted Lamb's chin and smiling.

"I know Lamb. But if Jago hadn't made that wish then you would have died too and for saving you, I am thankful". She then turned and faced Jago. "Now then, let's see what kind of man my angel has ended up with". She stepped around Lamb and still smiling, she approached Jago, who was still stunned by the appearance of Lamb's former Mistress. He hadn't completely lost his wits though and held out his hand, shakily.

"Jago" he said and Serenity shook it warmly.

"Good to finally meet you properly" she said. "As you've probably remember, I am-was Lamb's Mistress". Jago nodded, still stunned. The last time he had seen this woman, she had died and then slowly disintegrated into a cloud of forget-me-nots. Serenity chuckled as she inspected Jago critically, smiling at him. "Looks like I made a good choice… a tarnished soul, just like mine, but with a heart of gold". Jago could do nothing but stare. And he was struck by the beauty of Lamb's Mistress. Like her angel, she was tall but even more so than Lamb. In fact, she was taller even than Jago, at close to six-foot four. Her bust was also much smaller, giving her a more lithe, athletic build, although they were still large enough to make most women jealous, putting her on par with Damascus. And while her hair was the same shade as Lamb's, it was much longer and straighter, in a long ponytail came to within an inch of the ground. And her face was just as beautiful, with skin so pale, it looked like polished ivory. Yet they shared the same eyes; turquoise with amber flecks. And there was something else too… Something not quite quantifiable. For although she was smiling, there was no warmth in her smile and her eyes, for all their beauty, were cold, hard and calculating. This was a warrior if ever Jago had seen one. In fact, he would go so far as to say that this was someone who, even without her angel would have had no trouble taking down Jupiter. And he had forgotten something; goddesses could read minds. "So you think I'm pretty but you're not sure about me as a person, now that you've met me" she suddenly said, dropping the nice person act and suddenly become as cool and hard as glass. And twice as sharp. She sighed. "Your well intentioned wish caused me quite a bit of trouble you know?" she said. "Truly the road to Hell is paved with good intentions". Jago frowned.

"I wouldn't say that. More like it's a huge ladder of greasy razor blades". And this time, Serenity really did laugh.

"Well I can see where my girl has suddenly developed a sense of humour from, because I certainly never had one". Then she paused again, frowning. "In all honesty though, I thank you for what you did for her. You saved her and for that I am grateful. However, for now, I must request that I borrow her back from you… only for a short while mind. I believe that you have some kind of mission to complete and I have some things that I need to discus with Lamb here". Jago looked unsure so Serenity shook her head. "Look, I'm not going to steal her from you; I can't. I'm dead, remember? You're talking to a ghost. But what I have to say to her may well be crucial to what comes next. So, will you let me spend time with my former angel, as a gift to both me and her?" Jago paused and he glanced across at Lamb who was peering nervously over her Mistress's shoulder.

"What do you say lass?" he asked, cause Serenity to give a startled look.

"Why would you ask her? This is your decision and angels must always be subservient to their Mistress… or Master".

"Well I guess it's because I see things differently to how you see them. Call it the human touch if you will. Anyway, she and I are partners in this relationship, just like Damascus and I. If I have to make a decision like this, I want her to be involved". He then turned back to Lamb. "So lass?" Lamb paused and then slowly nodded her head.

"She's my Mistress. If she wants to talk to me about something, it's probably best that I hear her out". Jago nodded in a resigned way.

"Very well" he said and then turned to D. "We'd better get going". D nodded and then reached under the counter, pulling something out from under the bar. A scythe.

"Ok man, finish your beers and let's get going. If you wanna save this girl, we gonna need a bit of a hike". They nodded and as a group, the two humans, the angel and the Archdevil all departed, heading into the interior of the island.

"He's quite a character isn't he" Serenity commented as she watched Jago disappear along with the others. "It's a shame that I'm dead… I don't suppose he's available is he?" Lamb shook her head.

"No. He's with Lind". Serenity looked astonished.

"The moody Valkyrie? Bloody Hell!" Then she paused and cocked her head at Lamb. "For what it's worth, I am glad that you've ended up with him. Does he treat you well?" Lamb nodded.

"Jago is a fair and kind Master. He has more than once laid his life on the line for me and I trust him completely. And if I may say so, I love my Master…" She paused and blushed. "I'm sorry Mistress. I-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm dead remember. So long as you're happy, then so am I. However, there are some things that we need to talk about". She then sat back, crossing her legs in mid-air, resting her elbow on her thigh and her chin on her fist. "Now tell me Lamb, how much do you remember about why we were coming to Earth?"

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"So this thing will take us through to the place where the Gleaners are?" Keiichi asked as they stood in front of the moss covered arch that marched the way to the Ginnungagap prison, bellow the Land of the Dead.

"Of course it will man" D said. "It's the only way to get there. Anything going in or out has to pass through this portal".

"So why didn't you warn anybody about the Gleaners? If this is the only way through then surely you must have seen them coming" Holybell said to which D just shrugged.

"Yah man, I saw those big bats. But they's none of my business. So long as they don't interfere with me collecting souls, they ain't nothing to do with me". With that, he stepped into the middle of the arch and he spun his scythe. With a sudden tearing noise, the blade seemed to puncture a hole in space and a gap appeared within the portal itself. "Well here you go. You want here? She be just in through here". He paused. "Well… go on then".

"Aren't you coming too?" Damascus asked.

"Me? Going in there?" D looked horrified. "Of course not! It's incredibly dangerous in there! No way man, I'm staying right here so I can keep an eye on things and make sure nothing nasty tries to sneak through".

"So… we just go in?" Keiichi asked, eyeing the portal. He didn't like look of the thing. It was too… wrong. A hole in space where by rights, there should not be any hole at all.

"Yah man. Off you pop". Keiichi gulped and then steeled himself.

"Alright. Let's do this! For Belldandy!" With that, he charged forward and leapt into the portal, carrying Holybell with him. Jago glanced across at Damascus who nodded.

"Alright then" he said. "Geronimo!" And they jumped though.

"Daft bastards" D said to himself. "They gonna get their butts raped. Maybe I should've warned them about the Titan?"

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With a yell, Jago landed hard.

"CATCH ME!" He looked up and was just in time to see Damascus come tumbling down on top of him.

"OOF!" Jago said as the devil landed on top of him, knocking him flat.

"Sorry Master" Damascus said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. My… pancreas… broke my fall". He groaned as the devil heaved herself off of him. "At least I got a soft landing. So where are the others?"

"Master Jago? Could you please get off? You're crushing me".

"Oh". Once everyone was back up, they were able to take stock of their surroundings. "Well I can certainly say that Ginnungagap isn't quite what I expected". And to be sure, it wasn't. The entire world appeared to be made of pale pink hills, made of a soft, spongy material and ridged for as far as the eye could see. The ridges were odd, almost geometric in shape, with rings contained within rings and all with a crevice between them of about eight foot deep. The sky overhead was white and lined with thick, ragged bars of red which laced across its surface. Overall, the effect was rather disconcerting.

"Well if we're here, where's Belldandy?" Keiichi asked, looking around. "Are we supposed to just start wandering around in various directions?"

"More to the point, where are the Gleaners?" Jago said, snapping his fingers and conjuring up his maul.

"How'd you do that?" Keiichi ask as the big man spun the twenty pound hammer-axe around one hand.

"Lind taught me. She thought it would be best if I could carry my arsenal of weapons without actually having to carry them". As if to demonstrate this, he snapped his fingers and a piece of scaffolding dropped into his hand. "I believe this is YOUR weapon of choice" he said, tossing it to Keiichi who caught it inexpertly.

"Well maybe I can find my Mistress" Holybell said as Keiichi fumbled with the pipe. "Keiichi, could I borrow the ring?" Keiichi nodded, slipping of the white gold band and handing it to the angel. Closing her eyes, Holybell held the ring in her hand and began to whisper, as it levitated off of her hand and began to glow. And then, suddenly the ring shot off, zooming away over the crumpled landscape of Ginnungagap. "FOLLOW IT!" Keiichi didn't need telling a second time. Like a shot, he was off, leaping from one gorge to another. Holybell went after him, gliding smoothly above the surface. Jago was close behind, his size allowing him to take longer jumps than Keiichi and thereby allowing to keep up with the faster man. However, after just a few leaps, he was forced to stop and turn. Damascus was still where she had been. And she looked nervous.

"Damascus lass? You alright?" With a start, she turned to look at him and he saw that her face was a mask of worry.

"We need to get out of here!" she said. "As soon as possible! I thought it was odd that this place didn't look like what I remembered but then I realised it! And we need to get out of here NOW!"

"Why? What's up?"

"Master, don't you understand what we're standing on? Or what these crevices are? It's a _fingerprint_! We're standing on the hand of a Titan!"

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"BELLDANDY!" Keiichi cried as he hurdled the last crevice and landed beside the unconscious goddess. He stooped and hugged her, holding her tight. "Is she alright?" he asked Holybell who knelt beside her Mistress and started a scan on her, checking her vital signs.

"Give me a minute" the angel said, muttering to herself as Jago landed beside them, his face red from exertion.

"I'm getting too old for this crap" he muttered and then bent, scooping Belldandy up in one arm, to the protests of both Keiichi and Holybell.

"What are you doing!?" Keiichi demanded as Jago heaved the goddess up. "We need to-"

"-get out of here right now!" Damascus said, sailing over to them. "We're stood on the hand of a Titan! And not just any Titan; this is Prometheus! I helped to seal this bastard and if he finds out I'm here, we'll be in for a world of hurt!" Keiichi paled and Holybell suddenly scooped him up, placing a hand under each armpit.

"Well then, let's go!" she said, carrying Keiichi beneath her. Jago however, gave a quick twitch and his eyes flashed copper as Brother Pluto was suddenly called up.

"We could" he said, "but I think we have a problem". He pointed across Prometheus's hand to where dark shapes were beginning to appear from between the creases of the Titan's finger print. "Gleaners" he said, laying Belldandy down again and hefting his heavy maul in both hands. "Bloody hundreds of them". Holybell lowered Keiichi back to the deck, knowing it would be impossible for them to outrun this many Gleaners and survive.

"So what do we do?" she asked. Pluto shrugged.

"You two sat here and protect Belldandy; Damascus and I'll try and hold them off". He turned to the Archdevil and nodded to her. "Ready for this?" Damascus shrugged.

"As I'll ever be". And then the Gleaners charged. A thousand sets of wings snapped open and a hissing cloud of giant bats surged towards them, chattering with anticipation. Damascus was the first to attack and she went for a big one;

"ARMAGEDDON PULSE!" she cried, sending a dark blast into the centre of the bat cloud. At least a dozen Gleaners were instantly vaporised by the pulse, with dozens more injured. However, this had little effect on the overall numbers as they simply closed ranks and continued their charge.

"Not like that!" Holybell said. "Try this!" With that, she swept up her arms and when she lowered them, she was holding a bow made of glowing blue light. "Using big spells like that will drain your energy for relatively few casualties. Try something like this!" With that, she lifted her bow and drew it back, conjuring a glowing arrow and aiming for one of the nearest Gleaners. "WIND ARROW!" With a hiss, the arrow shot forth and sliced into the Gleaner, dropping the beast instantly. But she wasn't finished. She drew again, fired, drew and fired, sending out arrows as fast as she could conjure them. Damascus caught on and snapped her gingers, summoning a tiny flame at the end of her thumb. She then poured energy into it, creating a super-heated ball of plasma and then, with a clap of her hands, she sent the ball sailing away, taking down two Gleaners with a single shot.

"Like that?" she said, quickly reforming the bolt and sending off another.

"Nice" said the angel, sniping her twentieth Gleaner. "What do you call it?"

"Plasma Bolt" said Damascus, clapping her hands as fast as she was able. "Now shut up, let me concentrate! I need to do this as fast as possible!" Between them, the pair WERE helping to drive back the Gleaners… but not fast enough. It was up to Pluto to deal with them.

"ONE!" he shouted, striking one in the chest, crumpling the ribcage with his weapon. "TWO! THREE! FOUR!" He decapitated one, broke the skull of a third and then swung out his khukuri, gutting one of the giant bats. However, the situation was becoming hopeless. The Gleaners feared the Opal-essence but their numbers gave them courage and even with his strength, he was slowly being overwhelmed. "THIRTY-TWO! THIRTY-THREE!"

"Behind you!" Holybell called out. Pluto didn't even looking, just reversed his khukuri and back-slashed, catching the beast with the big knife, splitting its ribs with a deep grunt.

"THIRTY-FOUR!" He then turned as he heard a yelp. Keiichi was locked in a desperate battle, trying to beat back a Gleaner which had got behind them. A shriek as Damascus was clawed by one of them. Another shout from Holybell. A bellow. A yelp. BOOM!

"HEADS DOWN!" Holybell shouted as a huge wall of flesh slammed down what seemed like miles away and then swept over the surface of the hand, scouring the surface.

"INTO THE CRACKS!" Pluto shouted and dived for one of the crevices that made up the Titan's fingerprint as the huge palm swept overhead, crushing anything that was out in the open. The shrieks of Gleaners unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of the oncoming wall of flesh echoed across the strange landscape as they were unceremoniously crushed beneath the great weight of Prometheus's hand. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the hand was gone, disappearing into the distance. Cautiously, after reverting back to normal, Jago poked his head out of the crevice he had hidden in.

"Hey? You guys alive?"

"Yeah, just about!" Damascus said, emerging from her own crack and then turning and helping to pull Holybell from the same crevice. The devil's wrap was stained with a dark smear of black blood but the wound was shallow and she seemed no worse for wear. Holybell looked battered and bruised from where one of the Gleaners had actually landed on her but she smiled when she saw Jago standing there.

"Saved by the bell?" she said jokingly.

"Something like that" he said. "Where's Keiichi?"

"Over here!" Keiichi emerged from his own crack, tossing aside his scaffle-bar and heaving Belldandy out of the crack.

"She alright?" Jago said, helping to lift the woman out.

"I think so".

"Good. Now let's get going. I don't wanna be here if that hand comes back".

"YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE". They all froze. It was a deep voice that came from everywhere at once, both as loud as an explosion and soft as a whisper at the same time. And then the sky changed, the white and red slowly sliding away to reveal a great brown ring, surrounding a hole of deepest black. "AN OPAL-ESSENCE? I DIDN'T THINK THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO STILL EXIST". And they all quailed. For what was above them wasn't the sky. It was a colossal eye. The eye of Prometheus.

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Damascus was the first to recover and moved in front of the others in order to give them time to escape.

"Holybell, get them out of here. If I can keep this guy distracted, you should be able to make your escape". The angel nodded and with a grunt, she bent and scooped both Keiichi and her Mistress, flying slowly due to the excess weight of the pair. She then motioned for Jago to stay hidden as she turned to face the giant eye which hung overhead. "Hello Prometheus. Remember me?" The eye twitched over a fraction and focused on the devil. And then the lids came down, narrowing it.

"NIGHTMARE! NOW THIS IS A SURPRISE! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU FOR MILLENNIA! YOU WERE THERE THE DAY I WAS SEALED". Damascus licked her lips nervously.

"Yes, I was. But it's Damascus now, if you don't mind". The eye blinked slowly, regarding her coldly.

"DAMASCUS? YOU HAVE A NEW MISTRESS?"

"A Master".

"OH, YOU FOUND YOURSELF A MAN DID YOU? I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE TOO MUCH OF A PRUDE FOR THAT! SO WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FORMER MISTRESS? DID SHE GET TIRED OF YOU?"

"My Mistress is dead" Damascus said simply. "Her doublet was murdered by a traitor, killing her but as my Master made a wish to save her angel, he saved me too". There was a moment's silence from Prometheus as he slowly considered this piece of information.

"I'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT. I LIKED YOUR MISTRESS. I REALLY DID". He then paused and cleared his throat. "HOWEVER, THAT IS NOT WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN. I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS OPAL-ESSENCE. AND DON'T PRETEND LIKE I CAN'T SEE HIM OVER THERE, HIDING IN THE CRACKS OF MY FINGER. TELL HIM TO COME OUT OR I'LL HAVE TO SWAT THOSE OTHER ONES WHO ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE". Damascus glanced fearfully at Holybell as she struggled to carry the other two back through the portal and then at Jago. Before she could say anything, he had hauled himself free of the crevice and was stood beside her.

"No! No swatting! I'm here!" he said, waving his hands frantically. There was a moment's silence as Prometheus inspected him.

"YOU'RE NOT THE ONE I WANT. YOU ARE THE ID. WHERE IS THE OPAL-ESSENCE? I WANT TO SPEAK TO HIM". Jago licked his lips and glanced at Damascus.

"Which one?"

"WHICH ONE? YOU MEAN YOU HAVE ACCESS TO BOTH OF THEM?" He sounded excited so Jago nodded.

"Yeah, that I can. I call them Jupiter and Pluto".

"WELL THIS CERTIANLY IS EXTRAORDIANRY" the Titan said. "I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HUMAN'S TO USE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL… BUT NOW! NOW THIS IS INTERESTING! BRING THEM OUT! I WISH TO DO A SCAN!" Reluctantly, Jago called up first Jupiter and Pluto before returning to his usual state.

"Happy?" he asked.

"INTERESTING" Prometheus simply muttered. "HOW DID YOU COME TO BE ABLE TO BRING THEM OUT? HOW DID YOU BREAK THE SEAL?" So Jago told him his story or at least part of it. He explained how he had once been a drug dealer and had got into a fight with the man… and how he had killed him with Jupiter's help. "A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE, THEREBY WEAKENING THE SEAL" Prometheus muttered. "THAT WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE HELPED TO ALLOW YOU DARK ESSENCE ESCAPE BUT IT WOULD NOT ALLOW FOR A FULL MANIFESTATION. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?" So Jago explained about what had happened to Lamb and Damascus, about the Crash Palace appearance and every other manifestation after that.

"So what does all this mean Prometheus? What are these Opal-Essences? And why can I access them? From what you're saying, it should be impossible".

"AYE, THAT IT SHOULD" the Titan said. "BUT YOU SAY THAT THIS OTHER HUMAN, MR MORISATO, HE DIDN'T GAIN ACCESS TO THEM AFTER HE GAINED CONTROL OF EITHER THE ANGEL OR THE DEVIL?" Jago nodded.

"So? Are you going to answer my questions?" Damascus shot her Master a warning glance, not wanting him to provoke the Titan but Prometheus didn't seem to notice. And with that, he launched into his own tale.

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Back when the Titans had ruled the world, they had created everything. They had created the Earth. They had created plants, animals, bacteria. And they had created people. The gods and demons were the first and were created as the most powerful servants of the Titans. Next came the Earth spirits, the guardians and protectors of this world. And slowly, there came the other races. And finally, only one was left. Man. And Prometheus had been assigned to create them. He had fashioned the first men from clay and baked them in the sun until they were done. Now, originally, they had been created as a slave race, the short lived, fast breeding species that could perform all the small or menial tasks that were too small to be dealt with by the other races. But Prometheus had seen the potential of his beings. For all their weakness, they strove to join the other races and built may beautiful things in the name of their Lords. And so, Prometheus had decided to help them. So he had created the Opal-Essence's. They had been originally intended to put humans on a par with a First Class deity and with their new powers, they built even more beautiful monuments to their Lords. And none more so that the Tower of Babel. It stood for a millennium as a shining pillar of magnificence, a testament to this most ingenious of races. But Kronos, the King of the Titans, had feared with all their powers, that humans might one day attempt to rebel against him and so, he had ordered Prometheus to destroy all of humanity. And with a heavy heart, Prometheus had agreed. He had sealed their Opal-Essence strength; the very representations of the souls of this race and he had destroyed the Tower of Babel. But when the other races had learnt of this, rebellion had come, led by the gods and demons. There had been factions who had sided with the Titans; the Jötunns for example, who were created as an exterminator race, sent to Earth to rid the worlds of the weakened humans. Even some of the gods turned against their brothers and sisters, particularly those who were loyal to either Huitzilopochtli or Osiris and civil war had erupted. However, in the end, those who were loyal to humanity had emerged victorious, sealing the Titans and their allies. But at a terrible price. The very race they had sworn to protect had shattered, splitting into many warring factions and so the Earth had been abandoned, leaving the island of Avalon to sink beneath the waves. Not only that but the humans were now without their true powers, weak and vulnerable. And so, between them, the gods and the demons had taken it upon themselves to lead and guide humanity, for better or worse. And now, there was trouble once more.

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"So that's where the Opal-Essences come from" Jago said. "But how is it possible for me to have access to mine?" Prometheus was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"I HAVE A HYPOTHESIS. THE TRAUMA OF SEEING YOUR FRIEND DIE WEAKENED THE SEAL OVER YOU DARK ESSENCE, THIS… PAPA JUPITER. BUT IT WAS THE AQUISTION OF THE ARCHS THAT FULLY COLLAPSED THE SEAL. OR SHOULD I SAY, THE ACQUISITION OF DAMASCUS. THE SUDDEN IMPUT OF ALL THAT DARK ENERGY COMPLETELY COLLAPSED THE SEAL, ALLOW JUPITER OUT FULLY. AND THE COMBINATION OF LAMB AND THAT POWER BOOSTER THAT THEY USED ON YOU TO MAKE YOU PALADIN RELEASED THE SEAL ON PLUTO". Prometheus paused. "I HAVE TO SAY, YOU ARE THE MOST UNUSUAL OF HUMANS. IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOUR ARCH POTENTIAL, YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ULOCK THE POWER OF THE OPAL-ESSENCE. I HAVE TO CONGRADUALTE YOU JAGO FINCH… AND YOU LADY DAMASCUS. I HAD SOME ANIMOSITY TOWARDS YOU AFTER YOU HELPED TO SEAL ME HERE PERSONALLY BUT I HAVE TO SAY, IT SEEMS FATE HAS BEEN DEALING FROM THE BOTTOM THE DECK".

"You have a ridiculously high regard for fate mate" Jago said.

"OH? HOW SO?"

"Well personally, I have always been sceptical to predict anything beyond my next meal. Especially with Lind's cooking". At this, Prometheus laughed.

"OH, I LIKE THAT!" Then he stopped. "THERE IS STILL ONE THING THAT TROUBLES ME. YOU SAY THAT KRONOS HAS BEEN TRYING TO RETURN AND THAT'S WHY YOUR ANGEL WAS TARGETED?"

"That's right" Jago said. "But we caught the traitor. He escaped but-"

"YOU MUST FIND HIM" Prometheus said. "IF THAT TRAITOR IS STILL ALIVE, IT IS LIKELY THAT KRONOS HAS BEEN USING HIM AS A FLESH AVATAR. AND IF THE TWO OF THEM ARE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER…"

"It'll be bad?" Damascus suggested.

"YES. HE COULD WELL HAVE THE POWER TO EXTINGUISH ALL LIFE IN THIS UNIVERSE. SO LISTEN TO ME: YOU MUST FIND THIS MAN. AND YOU MUST KILL HIM! FOR ONLY THE OPAL-ESSENCE HAS THE POWER TO DEFEAT SOMEONE LIKE THAT… YOUR OPAL-ESSENCE TO BE EXACT".

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Jago and Damascus emerged slowly from the jungle, returning to the beach where they had started.

"Master!" Lamb said, waving him over.

"Lamb" Jago said, feeling exhausted. "You been behaving yourself?" Lamb nodded.

"Of course. But what took you so long? The others have been back for ages!"

"Long story, big Titan, origin of Opal-Essences, tired". He then raised a hand and tapped his skull. "Whoop, there it goes…. Yep, my brain stopped". Lamb giggled.

"Well at least Damascus kept you out of trouble I see". Jago and Damascus exchanged a glance. "She did keep you out of trouble right?" Silence. "Anyway… we're ready to go when you are". Jago nodded and then paused.

"Alright. I just got one thing I need to do" he said. "I need to talk to D about something and then we can go. Go tell Keiichi to saddle up and get Holybell back inside". Lamb nodded as Damascus disappeared back inside Jago and he made his way over to where Death was reclining. The little man flicked his sunglasses down a fraction as Jago approached and frowned.

"My answer to you is this; now fucking way man!" He pushed his glasses back up as Jago cocked his head.

"You don't even know what I was going to say yet".

"I don't need to" said D. "You humans… you always want me to let someone go back with you. And if it's who I think it is, it's a double no way man".

"What about a trade?" Jago said. "I've got-"

"You have nothing that would equal the value of a soul" D said simply. "Gold has no value here, diamonds are just shiny rocks and I am owed more favours than I can count. The answer is no".

"What about a straight swap? My soul for hers?"

"Your soul ain't worth that much man. You're a dime-a-dozen scumbag who got lucky. Your soul ain't worth as much as hers. Not by a long shot!" Jago frowned and was about to turn away. But then he remembered something.

"Well what about this?" he said, pulling something from inside his jacket. "Would this buy back a soul?" D glanced at the thing he was holding and then pulled down his glasses.

"I that what I think it is man?"

"Probably".

"Where'd you get it?"

"That's not important". D shrugged and held out his hand and Jago passed the object over to him. D whipped out a tiny magnifying glass and held the object up to the light, inspecting it.

"Grade A" he muttered. "This stuff is hard to get". He lowered the object and grinned. "Mr Finch, you have a deal. You can have her back. Just remember though; the next time she's here, she's MINE!"

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D watched the ship slowly slip away with a frown on his face. Quietly, Serenity slipped up beside him.

"D honey? You ok?" D shrugged.

"Yah man. Just thinking…"

"Thinking what?"

"Thinking that I like that Paladin but I'll be seeing him again far too soon. Shame. A what a Hell of a way to die".

"I thought it was against the rules for you to look into the future? Your brother would be furious!"

"Heimdall? Nah, he don't mind. Still…" He paused and looked up at the beautiful Praetorian beside him. "What exactly were you talking to with that girl of yours man?"

"She's not my girl anymore" Serenity said simply. Striking Twilight… or should I say, Astrakhan Lamb, has a new Master. But if you must know, I wanted to know how she was fairing under a human's control".

"And?"

"He's treating her better than I ever could. If Fate really does deal from the bottom of the deck, he really dealt Lamb all the aces when she landed herself with that one".

"Is that all?"

"That and a memory test. But that's a problem. She can't remember her mission. Oh she has the Kronos bit sorted but it's the rest of it that's missing. Including the most important bit. She can't remember why I asked her to learn how to hack Gates".

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"Eww" Jago said, stepping back through the Death Gate and into the ruins of Valhalla. "I think I need to create some kind of suit for those jumps. They make me itch!"

"You made it back in one piece then!" Valmeyar said as Keiichi followed him through, carrying Belldandy.

"Aye, we made it. And we got her".

"Big Sis!" Skuld said, hurrying over to them. "Is she ok?"

"Well perhaps if you let him put her down so that Holybell can renter her" Urd said. Skuld blushed and nodded as Keiichi gently laid her on the ground.

"She'll be ok" Lind said as she came to stand beside Jago. "And she won't blame you for what happened".

"She should do" Jago said as they watched Holybell appear behind Keiichi and then disappear inside Belldandy. Who blinked. And sat up.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Big Sis!" Skuld said, tackling her sister and hugging her. Belldandy was stunned for a second but then hugged her little sister.

"It's good to see you Skuld" she said softly.

"Well all's well that ends well" Jago said. But then he realised who he was talking to. He glanced across at Lind who's face gave a little twitched, the only sign of the emotional turmoil beneath. And then twitch again as Urd performed a scan on her, checking on Belldandy and Keiichi's baby. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry… I still have a knack for saying the wrong thing I guess". Then he paused. "But if it makes you feel any better, there is someone who wants to talk to you". Lind took a minute to control herself and then turned to Jago.

"Who Jago?"

"Me!" said Cool Mint.

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Lind was stunned for a second, trying to understand what she was seeing. Finally though, she found her voice.

"Cool Mint? Is that really you?" The angel fluttered her wings a little and smiled. WINGS. Two of them. Just like her sister now.

"Yes it's me" she said. "Jago brought me back". Almost reverently, Lind clasped Cool Mint to herself and felt the warmth as her angel re-established her connection. And she was crying. Tears of joy.

"Oh Cool Mint! I thought you were gone forever! I-I-" But Cool Mint simply smiled and hugged her Mistress, holding her tightly.

"I thought I was too. It was awful... dying I mean. But I'm back now. And you have Jago to thank for that".

"Well technically, she has Hild to thank for this but…" He went silent as the pair continued their reunion but Lind caught his eye over her angel's shoulder and she mouthed something to him, tears still in her eyes.

"Thank you" is what she said. Finally, the pair broke apart and Lind dried her eyes. It was at this point that Spear Mint appeared, her arms folded across her chest.

"And what time do you call this?" she asked. "I thought I told you to be home in time for bed!" Cool Mint hung her head demurely.

"Yes Spear Mint" she said. And then she smiled and embraced her older sister as Lind came to stand beside Jago.

"You're a good man Jago" she said softly, kissing him on the cheek as she watched her angels each compare their new wing to the other's. "Four-Winged Lind now. I guess this makes me a biplane" she said with a soft chuckle. Then however, she paused. "You said it was thanks to Hild that you got her back?"

"Yeeeaaahhhh" Jago said, rubbing his head sheepishly. "It was something she did at the wedding".

"What?" Lind asked curiously.

"She gave me a jar of borrowed time… and I traded it for Cool Mint's soul". Lind gave him a blank look.

"She gave you a… WHAT!? But why would she do that? Borrowed time is incredibly valuable!"

"To be honest, I think she might have a crush on me" Jago said, chuckleing as Lind seethed with rage. "But in this case, she may have been expecting something like this to happen so she may just be trying to keep on my good side". Lind remained furious but then she nodded.

"I suppose… I had better thank her at some point. And with Cool Mint living on borrowed time, I suppose it'll have to be extra grovelly". Jago snorted.

"Didn't know you did grovelly" he said.

"She doesn't" said Jeiko as he approached the couple. Jago grinned at the Earth spirit and doffed his hat.

"Alright mate. What brings you here?"

"I went chasing after Lind when she recovered from that sedative you gave her-"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Lind said, punching Jago on the arm. "That's for sedating me!"

"-because while I was looking after her for you, I discovered something. Something that I don't think any of us expected".

"What?" Jago said, rubbing his bruised arm.

"Well, I think that Lind had better tell you". Lind nodded and unbuttoned the lowest toggle of her shirt before taking Jago's hand and pushing it against her bare stomach.

"What're you doing?" he said, his confusion doubling as Lind began a medical scan on herself. "Still confused" he said. "What's happening h-" Then he paused. For there was a heartbeat. A second heartbeat. "Wah?" he said stupidly, not sure what he was feeling.

"I'm still pregnant Jago" Lind said simply. "I'm still carrying our daughter".

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"D-d-d-daughter?" Jago stammered, suddenly removing his hand. "But… how? When? What?"

"Perhaps I can explain" Jeiko said. "When Lind became pregnant, she was carrying twins; a boy and a girl".

"But how can that be?" Jago asked. "Damascus scanned her and only found one baby… our son. So how could he have had a twin?"

"Well by all rights, you would probably have never have known she existed. She's smaller and weaker than her brother was, small enough in fact that no amount of scanning would have picked up her heartbeat past through that of her brother's. And there was something else; she would never have survived to full term. Her brother would have slowly crowded her out until she simply died and was reabsorbed by the womb. However, when Deaderuss stabbed Lind and killed your son, he missed your daughter and left her with enough room to grow and survive". Jeiko winked at Jago and smiled. "So I guess congratulations are in order. You're still going to be a father… you poor bastard". And Jago grinned back.

"Mate, that is the best news I've heard all day". Lind smiled and took his hand.

"I thought so too" she said. "And I'm glad Jago. I thought this day was going to end in tragedy. But instead, you're back, we still have a baby coming, you saved my friend from the Gleaners and you brought Cool Mint back from the dead! From such a bad start, Could this day have ended any better?" And then Jago's phone rang, making Lind sigh. "Probably not but it can get worse" she said. "Aren't you going to answer that?" Jago sighed too and nodded, pulling out his phone, seeing Peorth's number on the screen.

"If it's another mission already, tell the Almighty I'm retiring!" Jago said.

"HELP!" Peorth shouted down the line, almost deafening Jago. She then started to babble as Jago tried to calm her.

"Whoa Peorth! Whoa! Slow down! I can't understand what you're saying". Peorth paused and took a few deep breaths before starting again, at a slower pace.

"Thank god we've reached you Jago! We're in serious trouble up here!" Jago's face got serious and he spoke softly.

"What's happened?" he asked.

"It's Deaderuss! He's back and he's gone _très en colère_!"

"English please".

"He's gone mad! He's babbling about Kronos and he's the Praetorians have joined up with him, as have a large force of Jötunns! The Valkyries are being slaughtered and if we don't get some reinforcements soon-"

"Alright, hang tight. I'm on my way". Jago snapped the phone closed and quickly strode over to Belldandy's little reunion. "Hey, sorry to interrupt but we have a problem".

"What kind of problem?" Urd asked.

"The "Heaven has been invaded so we need to get our fat arses in gear and get moving RIGHT NOW kind".

"Oh".

"But we haven't even been back five minutes!" said Keiichi. "Shouldn't we-"

"No, we gotta go now!" Jago said. "Peorth just phoned me and from the sound of it, things are REALLY bad, so we're going to need everybody who can possibly fight for this one. Plus Skuld".

"Oi!" the tiny goddess squawked.

"So, are you all in?" Jago asked. All heads nodded and then Valmeyar stepped forward. "I guess I'd better come too. Somebody needs to co-ordinate the defence and most of these girls don't know shit about fighting".

"And me too" said Jeiko. "You could probably do with the extra firepower!" This time however, Jago shook his head.

"No, not yet. I need you to contact the other members of the High Council and see about getting us some reinforcements. Think you can do that?" Jeiko frowned.

"I could but I can't get home. There's no Gate here that will take me back to the Earth spirit kingdom and-"

"Sorted!" They all turned to Lamb who had appeared without anyone realising and they watched as she poked the Gate, hacking it instantly.

"Ow!" the Death Gate said indignantly.

"There; one portal to the Earth spirit kingdom" she said. "And now, I suggest we get moving".

"I second that" said Lind, summoning her halberd and rebuttoning her shirt.

"Amen" said Jago. "We felt the rhythm and felt the rhyme. Now let's get on up. Cause it's fighting time!" And with that, he pulled up his maul. "And this time, I'm gonna split Deaderuss down the middle!"

**Authors Note: Well that's the end of what I have decided to call the "Treachery Arc". Or should I say Arch? HAH! So then; looks like we're going to war. And for this author, the end is in sight. In about 5-10 chapters of course! **


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**Almighty Lind and Paladin Wrath**

"AMBUSH! PROTECT THE CIVILIANS!" Lieutenant Vayrag and her unit diver for cover as the giants erupted from the ruined buildings on either side, roaring their battle cries as they charged forward, knives glittering. One hurdled the pile of rubble that Vayrag had taken cover behind and landed with a grunt, turning to face the Valkyrie, glaring though its mat of greasy hair and then lunged at her, slicing with the knife. The Lieutenant ducked, blocking the attack with one of her twin scimitars and then skewering her enemy with another. She then kicked her enemy away and then charged in as a pair of Jötunns roared in, heading straight for goddess mother who was trying to shield her daughter. Vayrag hurled one of her swords, taking one down and then closed on the other, hacking with her blade. The giant blocked with its knife and then lunged for her, clouting the side of her head with its fist and then moved to stab her gut but she recovered quickly, dodged the move and then placed a hand against the giants chest.

"Thunder Pulse!" she said calmly and ten-thousand volts tore through the monster's chest, blasting a fist sized hole through the tough bone and muscle. As the giant fell away, Vayrag turned to goddess and helped her to her feet. "MOVE!" she shouted and used herself as a shield as she helped them into cover.

"Lieutenant! Look out!" a Valkyrie shouted and Vayrag ducked as a rocket whirred overhead to explode against a ruined building, showing them with debris. Then the street filled with the clatter of automatic weapons as a giant opened up with a rifle, scouring the Valkyrie's position with bullets. Seconds later, a second giant appeared, firing of his own rifle and Vayrag watched one of her Valkyries go do with a shriek, her torso pierced by multiple rounds.

"FRIG!" Vayrag screamed as the Valkyrie fell and then turned to one of her Corporals. "Freya! Take two fighters and knock out those machine-guns!" The Corporal nodded, gestured to a pair of her comrades and the three leapt skywards, preparing to rain down death from above. However, they quickly realised their mistake, as a battery of anti-aircraft guns opened up, filling the skies around them with tracers.

"SCATTER!" Freya shouted and the three separated, each weaving to avoid the incoming waves of fire. Freya was lucky in her choice of escape; she zoomed upward, slipping between two streams of flack until she had reached an altitude where the rounds could no longer reach her. But as she looked down, she watched with dismay as two flashes of red marked the death of her two companions; twenty-three mill shells tearing them apart like paper dolls. And then she looked up, just in time to see the Praetorian drop on her from above, slicing down with her sword and taking the Corporal's head off with a single swipe.

"NO!" Vayrag shouted as she watched her Corporal drop, but her shout was drowned out as another couple of rockets shrieked overhead, smashing into the buildings on either side.

"Lieutenant!" another of her Valkyries shouted and she saw a wave of Jötunns appearing through the smoke, further down the street, setting up for a charge on their position. She needed to make a decision and fast.

"Auxiliaries!" she called out, hoping that the few who had accompanied her platoon could hear her. "Auxiliaries, get the civilians out of here! Valkyries, follow me!" And with ah shout, she rose from her hiding place and started running towards the Jötunn ranks, whirling her swords as she went. Behind her, half a dozen Valkyries followed, rushing the giants in what they knew was a suicidal attack. Even as she ran, Vayrag felt a bullet hiss past her, tearing on of the leather wings that covered her boosters off and as she glanced to one side, she saw one of her Valkyries collapse, screaming as a round shattered her kneecap. And ahead, the immense wave of giants. Fifty feet to go… then fourty, then twenty… and then with a roar of jet wash and kerosene smoke, an immense shadow passed overhead, spinning to port and opening up of the giants with wall of murderous dakka. It was Tanngrisnir. The heavy weapons of the gunship roared into life, mowing down the giants in a wave of bloody glory as it pulled into a hover at fifty feet above them, a rope sliding down to the ground in front of the astonished Valkyries from the open rear hatch. And down the rope, came a smiling face.

"Hey there" Jago said as his boots hit the ground with a crunch. "Am I late for the butt-whooping?"

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The Tanngrisnir roared out of the portal and straight into a war zone. Heaven appeared to have been devastated. The beautiful towers and spires were mostly shattered or levelled, the white marble of the survivors stained black with soot and smoke. Flashes of fire sprung up on every street and strings of tracers laced through the clouds. In horror, they saw a flight of Valkyries roar into battle at roof-top level only for a battery of anti-aircraft guns to open up on them from bellow, cutting them down before they could react. Only those who climbed were able to avoid the guns, flying just out of range of the flashing tracers, only to be attacked from above but marauding Praetorians.

"Jesus" Lind whispered softly.

"He ain't interested" Jago said dryly. They were orbiting at twenty-thousand feet, out of reach even for the Praetorians and from here they were trying to determine where was safe to land. They were all there, except for Keiichi and Belldandy, with the goddess still being too weak from her ordeal to be of much assistance and Keiichi looking after her. But nowhere was safe here. Anywhere that wasn't flashing with fire was under a sea of blue and black; thousands upon thousands of giants, swarming over the city like a mass ants. "See anywhere we can land Skuld?" he called up to the cockpit.

"Nowhere!" the young goddess called out. "If I try and land in all this mess, we'll be blown apart!" Jago ground his teeth, trying to think.

"Question; where did the giants get anti-air? I thought you said they only had crossbows!"

"Who knows" Valmeyar said. "But if we don't get down there, we're not going to be of any use at all!"

"Can't we just… jump?" Urd suggested. "You know, fly down there and-"

"Don't be an idiot" Lind said. "We'll be cut to pieces before we can get anywhere near!" But Jago paused, considering what had been said.

"Well we can't jump from here but…"

"But?"

"But what if we could get low? We could fast-rope in and then the plane could be out of here in seconds".

"Yeah but how could we get low? You saw those guns, not to mention the Praetorians! They'll tear us apart in seconds!"

"Perhaps…" said Jago. "What we need is cover… I've got it. Skuld, head for the central palace. If we descend as rapidly as possible in an orbit around the building, we can get to rooftop level and fast rope from there". Silence.

"You're going to get us killed!" Skuld said as she nosed the Tanngrisnir over into a dive, towards the central palace.

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With a roar, the heavy aircraft rumbled in at roof-top level, looking for the best place for a drop.

"Over there!" Lind shouted, pointing out of the window as tracers flashed overhead, the guns unable to get a clear shot at them due to their extreme low altitude. Jago glanced out of the window and saw what she was point to; a small group of Valkyries, pinned down at a crossroads and about to be overwhelmed as a wave of Jötunns started top build at the far end of the street.

"Alright!" he called out, "Skuld, get the ramp down!" The rear door slowly lowered, letting in a wave of hot, smoky air as they flew ever lower.

"So how exactly do you fast-rope?" Valmeyar asked as she watched Jago clip a rope as thick as his arm to a rail at the rear of the aircraft.

"Simple" he said. "You wait for the plane to stop, grab the rope and slide down to the ground. It's much safer for the aircraft than having to land".

"Grab the rope and drop? What if you miss?" Jago gave her a very serious look.

"Don't miss". Then there was a shout from further up the plane.

"Those Valkyries are going to get themselves killed!" Urd cried out and true to her word, half a dozen Valkyries could be seen racing towards the mammoth wall of giants, clearly intent on getting themselves slaughtered.

"Skuld, give us ninety degrees to port and prepare all ordinance. Keep those giants back while we rope in".

"Alright!" she said. "But then I'm out of here! I'm not sticking around to be shot at!" And with that, the Tanngrisnir drifted sideways, letting fly with a barrage of dakka, ripping into the ranks of the Jötunns. The aircraft slid to a stop above the little group of Valkyries, guns blazing and the rope was thrown overboard.

"All ashore who's going ashore!" And with that, the lunatic grabbed his rucksack from its rack and swung himself into a maelstrom of fire.

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"PALADIN?" Vayrag squeaked. "WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?"

"Just now" Jago said.

"BUT WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT YOU FOR HOURS!" Jago gave her an accusing look.

"I had to finish my lunch" he said. There was a brief grunt as Lind landed beside him and he glanced up at the plane hover seventy feet above. "Did you just jump that?" he asked.

"Yeah" said Lind. "Any complaints?"

"None from me".

"I have one" Valmeyar said, landing beside them. "It is not an ideal insertion method if you wear a skirt".

"Especially if it's a short one like mine!" said Urd.

"What are you doing here?" Lind asked her. "You're not a combat soldier".

"You really think I'm gonna miss this?" Urd said and then jerked her thumb upwards. "Besides, my ride's gone". It was true; the Tanngrisnir was already making its escape, winging away across the rooftops, all guns blazing.

"Alright, you're in" Jago said and then he turned to Vayrag. "The gunship's scared off the Jötunns for now, so let's get some cover and then a sit-rep". Vayrag nodded.

"Alright… but I'm afraid there isn't a lot of good news".

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The five of them crouched around Vayrag's battered map as her Valkyries secured the surrounding area and checked the wounded. The map was made of intelligent liquid crystals which showed the entirety of Heaven and the forces of both sides; Heavenly forces in white, Jötunns in blue and Praetorians in red. And it wasn't looking good. Huge swathes of territory appeared to be under Jötunn control, with marauding bands of Praetorians zooming across the sky to launch lightning fast strikes against isolated Valkyrie or Auxiliary units. The little blocks of white on the other hand, appeared to be in serious trouble. They were scattered and isolated, many appearing surrounded. It was enough to make Jago hiss through his teeth.

"Looks like a classic case of SNAFU" he said, knitting his brow in concentration.

"SNAFU?" Vayrag asked.

"Situation normal, all fucked up". He slipped a cigarette from his jacket and lit it, not bothering to glance at Lind who shot him a dirty look. "I know I said I quit and I did, but considering what's happened over the last few days, I think a cigarette is the least I'm owed". He turned his attention back to the map. "So… we're scattered and vastly outnumbered. How did this happen? Where'd the giants come from?"

"We're not sure" said Vayrag. "I'm just a Lieutenant you see; they don't tell me anything. All I know is that we got a sudden message to mobilize all Valkyries due to invasion from the Northern most regions of Heaven. The First cohort was just engaging with the first few Jötunn units when we were attacked from behind…"

"Praetorians?" Lind asked to which Vayrag nodded.

"Yes… our unit was scattered and we were forced to fall back. My team," she nodded towards her thirty or so Valkyries, "were separated from most of the rest of our unit. We were heading back towards friendly territory, having teamed up with an Auxiliary unit who were evacuating civilians when we were ambushed. If you guys hadn't shown up when you did…" Her voice drifted off and Jago nodded.

"I get it. So how many enemies are we up against?"

"Unknown. Nearly six-thousand Praetorians by our count and… an unknown number of Jötunns. Possibly as many as a million". Valmeyar whistled.

"That's a lot…" she said. "Have you any news from my cohort? What of the Foe-hammers?"

"The last I heard, they were still loyal to the Almighty One but were heavily outnumbered and were pinned down by enemy fire. That is the last we heard from them". Valmeyar nodded sagely.

"I see. What of these weapons the Jötunns are carrying? Do we have any idea where they got them and how many?"

"Negative on where they got them but they appear to have one rifle for every ten Jötunns and one-"

"RPG!" Jago shouted, shoving the others down as the rocket whizzed in so close that it would have struck Urd if he hadn't . As it was, the rocket shot past, scorching his back and exploding about fifteen feet away, showing them with debris. With a grunt, Lind shifted him off of herself, shaking him.

"Jago! Jago, are you alright?"

"Yeah… I can hear bells ringing!" he said shaking his head. With a growl, he rolled over and looked back down towards where the rocket had come from. "Bastard!" he swore and knelt, summoning his elephant gun. He then waited for the rocketeer to appear as the others recovered and fired off a shot. "Got him!" he said as the giant fell away. "So, what were we talking about?"

"RPGs?" Urd suggested.

"Ah yes, what were you saying about weapons?" he said to Vayrag who was still stunned. He sighed and snapped his fingers in front of her face a couple of times. "You alright?"

"Ye-yeah, I'm good" she said. "Where was I? Oh yeah; they have one rocket launcher for every fifty fighters and by our reckoning, about two hundred anti-air units". She paused and tapped the side of her head a few times, knocking some dirt loose. "Against that, we have maybe… five-thousand Valkyries? And maybe twice that many Auxiliaries?"

"So… fifteen-thousand fighters. What about civvies? What's going on with them?"

"We're trying to evacuate them as well as we can, back to the safe zone. However, the safe zones were all overrun and now, they're all cut off behind the enemy lines. We were telling them to try and make their way to the nearest Valkyrie units but at the moment…"

"Not an option" Valmeyar said simply and then paused. "What about Yggdrasil? Is it still fully operational?" Vayrag's face fell.

"Yggdrasil has been critically damaged. Apparently, while the Paladin's mother," she glanced at Jago, "was working on the systems, she was also accused of treachery and arrested. Now, they released her but during her arrest, the remaining bugs in the system all simultaneously went haywire and basically exploded, taking out most of the systems. Apparently, most of the magic transfers are down which is why we haven't been able to drive back the Jötunns; we just don't have the magic to drive them out. From what we understand the doublet system is also out of action so-"

"So not only is it SNAFU but a cluster-fuck as well" Jago said. Vayrag nodded and then lowered her head.

"But that's not everything all. The Almighty…" She paused, unable to continue until she Urd caught her eye.

"What's happened?" Vayrag didn't say anything, just shook her head. "Lieutenant, tell me! He's my father!" Urd growled, flexing her hands. Valmeyar however, laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Vayrag, this is important" the Praetorian said softly. "If something has happened to the Almighty-"

"A full Praetorian cohort attacked the central palace and stormed the office. Yggdrasil is safe and sealed. But the Almighty… we lost contact with him and Lady Anzus".

"You mean…" Urd asked, becoming worried but Vayrag shook her head.

"Not dead we don't think… but he's almost certainly been captured".

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Silence greeted Vayrag's announcement, each of them resigned to their own thoughts. Finally, it was Jago he broke the silence.

"Right… so who's in charge?" he said, looking around hopefully. There was silence as all eyes turned to him. "What?" he said but then he twigged and he frowned. "Ah, Hell no!"

"As the highest ranked Lord here, you are, at least technically, in command of Heavens forces, until such time as a new Almighty one can be appointed" Valmeyar said.

"You're not kidding me, are you?" Jago said with a resigned voice. The Praetorian shook her head. "Right then… in that case, I need to think. Lamb, Damascus, come on out. I could use someone to bounce ideas off of". The pair emerged, floating in mid-air as he started to pace back and forth. "So what do we know?" he said, half to them and half to himself.

"You should never take off your jumper while smoking a cigarette?" Damascus suggested. Jago grinned.

"Aye lass, that you shouldn't…" He paused. "Ok, I see three main hurdles. One. our forces are scattered and outnumbered. How do we solve this?"

"Well we'd need to regroup the Valkyries and have them fall back to a prepared defence line" lamb said, resting her hand on her chin. "It would need to be big enough for us to set up a field hospital and evacuation point if we need it but it would need to be defensible".

"Good" Jago said. "Second problem: air superiority. They have it and we need it. Now if WE had it, we could own arse but as it is, we're the back foot. However, at the moment, short of getting every fighter airborne at once, we're not going to able to achieve that so I think that problem will just have to be lived with for now". There were nods from the angels and goddesses.

"And third?" Urd asked.

"Thirdly: I need to know exactly what's going on at the central palace. Just how much damage has been done to the Yggdrasil systems, who's survived and if the Almighty One really has been captured". There were more nods. "So then… I have a plan". He turned to Vayrag. "Ok lass, I need that map". The Valkyrie nodded and handed it to him. He studied it for a moment and then laid it down pointing at a spot to of white. "Ok, this is where we are" he said and then traced his finger across the surface until he came to an open area of land. "And here is where we're going to make our stand; Hero's Plaza". He tapped the map. "It looks open enough to set up a base but those buildings all around it should be useable in a defence line. With luck, there should be something we can use to knock together a barricade of ten and set up a static defence". He paused and then looked up at Valmeyar and Lind. "You two are the best soldiers here; does it sound ok so far?" Lind frowned.

"I'm a skirmisher and small unit operator. You probably have more idea on static warfare than I have".

"Well I agree with his plan" Valmeyar said. "It's not brilliant but with the limited information we have at the moment, it's probably better than anything else we can do".

"Thank you" he said. "Now, as for you my Lady, I have a particular mission for you; I need you to get back to your cohort and get them to us as fast as possible. We NEED good fighter and with no disrespect to the Valkyries", he nodded at Lind and Vayrag, "they're not really up to the job of fighting Praetorians". Valmeyar nodded.

"Alright. Is there anything else I need to know before I leave?" she asked. Jago shook his head. "In that case, I'll head off now. If you need me, you can contact me via loadstone radio. Oh and Paladin? Don't fuck up". With that, the Praetorian was gone, disappearing off amongst the ruined buildings as Jago turned to Lind.

"As for you, I have a job for you; I need you to recon the central palace". Lind cocked her head in confusion.

"I would have thought you would have volunteered for that and then I would have had to talk you out of it".

"You said so yourself Lind; you're not good with large unit operations or urban warfare, whereas I… I know a thing or two. Now ideally, we would want the strongest of us going there as that's probably where most of the Praetorians appear to be", he indicated a large red mass on the map, "but in this case, I think we'll have to make do with the second strongest while I try and hold the line out here".

"Oi!" Lind said. "You won our duel by trickery! In a real battle, I would kick your arse!"

"Sure" Jago said. "If you say so. So you think you can do it?"

"Get in, check on Yggdrasil's systems, find out whether the Almighty is has been captured and…"

"Don't die" Jago finished for her and then paused. "But before you go, you'd better take this". He reached under his jacket and unclipped his revolver cross-belt, holding out to her. Lind looked doubt-fully at the weapon.

"You know I'm an axe girl Jago. Gun's aren't really my thing".

"Just take it" he insisted. "I know you probably won't use it but it'd make me feel better if you had it with you had it with you". Lind pursed her lips, still unsure but then nodded and reached for the gun. However, just as her hand came out, Jago's spare hand shot out like a snake and grasped her by the wrist and Lind yelped as a sudden flash of searing pain shot up her forearm and into her chest as _something_ was transferred across to her. She pulled her hand free of Jago's grip and then slapped him, glaring furiously.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" she demanded, rubbing her wrist as Jago snapped his jaw back into place.

"Little extra firepower" he said and then tossed the gun to her. "And there's some more. Now get going; I need all the information I can get". Lind paused and then, still glaring, she nodded and set off towards the central palace. Just before she disappeared to from view however, Jago called out to her. "Don't forget; I love you! So don't do anything I wouldn't do!" And Lind grinned.

"What wouldn't you do?" she called back. Then she was gone, slipping into the smoke and ruins. Reluctantly Jago turned back to the remaining goddesses.

"Right then; as for the rest of us, we've got to get a move on. Vayrag, gather up your girls and tell them to get ready. We move in five. Urd, you're our medic for now. See what you can do for the injured". The bronze skinned goddess nodded and Jago then turned to Damascus and… "Where's Lamb?"

"Up there" the devil said, pointing up at the roof of a neighbouring building.

"Why?"

"She didn't say". Just then, a screaming shape was launched from the edge of the building and slammed into the ground just in front of them. A few seconds later, Lamb came drifting down, cracking her knuckles.

"I found THAT hiding on the roof" she said. "I was going to kill her myself but I thought that I'd better bring her down here and let you deal with her Master". And then the girl's face raised and they recognised her. With one hand, Jago lifted the girl and held her at arm's length, dangling her by her throat as she pawed at his arm, trying to release herself.

"Please!" said Weth, gasping for air. "Don't kill me!"

"Give me one good reason Weth" Jago said. "You've betrayed me twice so just give me one-"

"Deaderuss has gone bananas! He's talking about bringing back Kronos! And he's going to kill EVERYONE to do it!" Jago paused and looked into her eye. He saw desperation, fear, remorse… and a spark of truth. He dropped her, letting her crumple to the floor.

"Talk he said. "But try anything and Damascus here will show you just how sharp those claws of hers are".

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Deaderuss stood atop the ruins of a once mighty tower, smiling down at the destruction below. Victory would soon be his, he was sure of it. Yggdrasil was crippled, the Valkyries scattered and demoralised and soon… Kronos would some through. And finally, HE, Deaderuss, would have that which he so richly deserved. A crackle of energy, Angrboða appeared alongside him and he suppressed a growl. Demon scum.

"Lord Deaderuss, how goes it?" Angrboða asked, gesturing towards the ruination below. Deaderuss shrugged.

"As well as can be expected" he said. "We will control Heaven within the hour. What about you? How goes it in Hell?"

"Hild has fallen and has been captured. That fool Hagall, is trying to rally their forces there but it won't be long until they're overwhelmed". She paused and glanced across at her armour clad comrade. "I understand that you have captured Lord Tyr as well?" Deaderuss nodded.

"He has been taken into custardy, yes. All we must do now is…" but his voice faded away as a dark shape rolled overhead and then turned side on, blasting away at a Jötunn unit that had surrounded and was preparing to overrun a Valkyrie unit. The Lord's eyes narrowed. "The Paladin is most tenacious" he said as he watched the little team descend from the aircraft which in turn then started off again, sailing away across the sky.

"So it would seem" Angrboða said, "but I think I know what they're planning. They'll be trying to regroup their forces while the Paladin heads off to the central palace in order to get a full assessment of the damage". She paused and turned to Deaderuss. "One of us should go after him while the other reorganises the forces here so that they can't set up a prepared defence".

"I should go then" Deaderuss said. "You can stay here and organise the defences". But Angrboða raised an eyebrow.

"No Deaderuss, you owe me this one. If you hadn't been so blood-thirsty and Hell-bent on revenge, we could have finished arming the Jötunns and we could have overwhelmed them by now. As it is however, I am the one who has to fix your mistakes". She paused and cocked her head. "Where is Mjolnir?" she asked.

"Why would you want the Almighty's weapon?"

"We both know that hammer contains incredible power Deaderuss. I am a capable fighter as we both know but we also both know that it is my tactical genius rather than my fighting skills that got me to where I am today. That hammer would give me the power I need to defeat the Paladin with ease. Now… if you would be so kind…" Grudgingly, Deaderuss reached under his cloaked and pulled forth the Almighty's beautiful and ancient hammer, tossing it to her and she caught it with ease. "It's heavier than I expected" she said and then turned away as she spotted a shape heading off in the direction of the central palace. "I'll be back soon. And you can have your crack at the Paladin then". She then disappeared again, using her electrical medium to perform a dimensional slide, off and out towards the palace. Deaderuss ground his teeth in frustration.

"That bitch… little does she know my true plans for her and her kind". And then he paused as his loadstone radio crackle into life.

"To all loyalist units, this is the Paladin…"came Jago's voice, echoing across the airways.

"Well, well" Deaderuss said to himself. "If this isn't a surprise". But then, as he listened, he came to a strange realisation. Whoever was heading to the central palace was NOT the Paladin; he appeared to be trying to rally Heaven's survivors to him and this made the Praetorian grin. He fancied a challenge. He switched his radio to a secure frequency, one used only by Praetorians. "To all units; disengage. Allow the remaining Valkyries to fall back on Hero's Plaza. If the Jötunns try to engage them, let them but do not engage yourselves. Is that understood?" There was a chorus of affirmatives as Deaderuss's officers all confirmed his orders. He grinned. But then he paused. For if the Paladin was heading towards the Hero's Plaza, who was Angrboða going to fight?

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Weth gasped a few times as Jago glared down at her, waiting for an answer. Finally, she spoke.

"Deaderuss told me his entire plan; he is planning to bring back the Titan, Kronos!"

"Yeah, we know that" Jago said. "That's why he needed to kill Lamb".

"But did anyone tell you how he was planning it?" Jago paused.

"No" he admitted.

"He and Angrboða are planning the biggest genocide in all of history; that's why they needed the giants. They need ten-thousand pure souls, ten-thousand dark souls and a million tarnished souls to perish in order to bring forth the Titan". There was silence.

"You say dark souls" Damascus said. "What do you mean?"

"They have invaded Hell as well. Apparently Hild has been captured and Hagall and Mara, as the two most powerful demons left, are trying to drive back the invasion".

"So they're basically using the giants to do most of the killing and then… they're going to kill all the giants?" Vayrag asked. "That-that's sick! Why would they want to do something like that?"

"Angrboða wants to reunite Heaven and Hell into a single entity and combine our species into a race of ghastly hybrids-" She stopped herself as Urd glared daggers at her but then she went on. "I think she's just power hungry. Deaderuss on the other hand; he's gone completely wacko! Apparently, he thinks that by killing YOU Paladin, he can force Lind into loving him… and there was something else. He said that Kronos has promised him something. Something about "the power he has sought but he could never obtain". And from the way he said it, I doubt he was talking about becoming the Almighty One". Lamb nodded.

"He's angelless. But Kronos wouldn't have access to any angels and even if he did-"

"He could give him an Empty" Damascus said, causing a gasp from both Vayrag and Urd.

"He wouldn't dare!" Ur said.

"It's Kronos ; he would and can do just about anything" Damascus said.

"Am I missing something?" Jago asked. "What's an Empty?"

"It doesn't matter right now" Lamb said, fluttering her wings nervously. "But it is troublesome. You say that he plans to kill pretty much everyone in order to bring Kronos through?" Weth nodded.

"Yes. That's the way I understand it". Jago then nodded and took a moment to think.

"Right then… we need to get as many of our people together as we can. It'll be harder for them to kill us all". The he paused. "And I think… we need to start thinking about evacuation".

"Evacuation? Where too?" Urd asked.

"I'm not sure yet… but we need to get everyone we can as far away from here as possible. Another world would be ideal. And we need to do the same thing to Hell. Right now though, it's like I said. We need to regroup". He paused and looked across as Vayrag. "Do you have a loadstone radio?" Vayrag nodded and reached inside her shirt, pulling out a radio which she tossed to him. He caught it and clicked on and in one breath, he spread his orders. ""To all loyalist units, this is the Paladin. You all know what's happening and I have new orders for you all; fall back. Spread the word. Every Valkyrie, Auxiliary and civilian need to get out of here. I'm setting up a casualty collection point at Hero's Plaza in preparation for an evacuation and I want all units to fall back on that position. All fighting units are advised to bring as many civilians with you as possible. Children are the priority, but all civilians need to be evacuated. DO NOT attempt to fly; you'll be blown out the sky in seconds. If you are unable to move, stay put and keep us updated. I'll have teams sent out to you as soon as they become available. Paladin out". He clicked off the radio and tossed it back to Vayrag. "We'd better get moving" he said.

"What about her?" Urd asked, gesturing towards the kneeling Weth.

"Leave her" Jago said. "She's not threat to us but neither is she an asset". But the Praetorian was up and on her feet as Jago turned away.

"You're not leaving me behind!" she snapped. "I'm coming with you!" Jago half turned to her, one eyebrow raised.

"What makes you think we'll take you? You've betrayed us twice and it's taking all of my now very limited patience not to break your head in my hands".

"I say we let her come along" said Lamb. "For all that I feel betrayed by her, she should at least be allowed to atone for her sins. One final chance". Jago turned towards her and frowned.

"You want her to come along? After all she's done?" Lamb nodded.

"Yes. I have to be willing to forgive her, even if it makes me the fool".

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness" Weth said. "But at least let me find an honourable death at your side… as your Apprentice". She knelt before Jago and thumped her fist against her shoulder. "This is all that I ask of you; to let me die at your side so that I might atone for my sins". She bowed her head low. "And if that does not please you, you may kill me on the spot. I cannot go back to Deaderuss. He is not my Master any more. He has gone too far". And she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. "Now please Lord Paladin, make you decision". She closed her eyes and half expected to feel the sudden sting of blade at her neck. But to her surprise, she felt a hand and she raised her head to see Jago looking down sadly at her.

"I can't kill you lass. Lamb likes you and that's enough. But you WILL die today, if not by my hand then by that of the enemy. Now answer me this; why did you save Deaderuss?"

"I am-was loyal to my Master. I was worried that he would be executed. And while I hate the bastard, I could not see that happen. However, once he was safe and I knew what he was truly planning, I knew I had been wrong. YOU are my Master Jago. And I am sorry". Jago chewed his lip for a second and then growled.

"Honour above common sense" he said. "Very well, I have a job for you". He pulled off his bag and to Weth's confusion, he pulled out a large square of silk. He unfolded it and she saw what it was; a flag. "Do you know what this is?" Jago asked. Weth shook her head. "This is my families crest; three black, rampant griffins on red, black and white field. Now, YOU are to carry it". He then reach out and pulled a staff out of the air, longer and straighter than his hittin stick. He attached the banner to the staff and handed it to her. "There. Now you're my Colour-Sergeant. You protect that banner with your life. UNERSTAND ME?" Weth nodded.

"Yes sir". Jago grinned.

"Good. Now then; Vayrag, we're moving now. Gather everyone up, let's get going".

"Can we trust her?" Urd asked, leaning close to him as they started off towards the gathering Valkyries.

"Almost certainly not" Jago said. "But I think we need every bloody fighter we can get". Urd shrugged as she looked back at Weth, just in time to see Lamb punch the ex-Praetorian hard in the stomach.

"I'm putting my neck out for you but it doesn't mean I forgive you" the angel said. "Now, if you fuck up again, I'll kill you myself".

"Yes sir" Weth gasped. "And I'm sorry".

"Never mind the sorry" Lamb said, "just make sure you don't do it again". She sighed. "Why am I even bothering to tell you this? We're all gonna end up dead anyway".

"Oi! Let's get moving!" Jago shouted back to them and Lamb smiled back at her Master before turning back to Weth and holding out her hand to help her up.

"Alright then Weth! To death or glory!" she said. "Or maybe just a bit of both".

8888

Lind slipped silently into the central palace, silently summoning her halberd as she entered the shattered atrium. Something was wrong. The entire hall had been ruined, the ornate desks and counters shattered, the potted plants ripped up by their roots. Papers were strewn across the floor and the ornate harp-computers were broken into pieces. But most worrisome of all; _there were no people_. There were plenty of signs of fighting; scorch marks, the occasional broken weapon, a few specks of spattered blood. But nothing else. Nobody alive. No bodies. Nothing. It was troublesome. Still, Lind was a warrior and she had other things to worry about. She had to reach the Yggdrasil control rooms. Silently, she took the stairs, not trusting the lifts to still be in operation. Eventually, she reached the right floor and slipped out of the airway and prepared to open the door. But then she paused, her hand above the latch. There were voices coming from the corridor beyond.

"Why don't we just break the door down?" a male voice rumbled, probably a Jötunn.

"I told you" an exasperated and condescending female voice of a Praetorian said. "The door is protected by a combined Barrier Shield and an Aegis Shield. We can't penetrate it until the one of our hacking teams gets here and can break through. And the team has been delayed. They've been tied up, apparently when they ran into a Valkyrie unit".

"So why are we still here? Why don't we go and find them?"

"Because if we do that, it's likely the goddesses and humans trapped inside will sneak out and get help! You stupid Jötunn!" She heard growling coming from the Jötunn but he seemed to agree with what the Praetorian was saying.

"What news of the Paladin and his Valkyrie sluts?" the giant grunted. "Are they on their way here?"

"One of them apparently" the Praetorian said. "But when whoever is coming arrives, my girls will be ready for them". Lind grinned coldly. So they knew that one of them was on their way here but they didn't know it was her or that she was already here. She had the element of surprise. And so, she closed her eyes and focused her mind, listening for the tiny sounds that would give away the position and numbers of her opponents.

"Ok" she whispered to herself, twitching her face slightly. "Fourteen Jötunns, all between eight and teen foot tall". She then twitched her head in the other direction, still listening carefully. "And… four? No, five Praetorians. One male, four female. Second cohort fighters. Light, thin and skinny. No problem". She paused and contacted her two angels.

"_Mistress?" _the Mint Sisters asked simultaneously.

"_I can take the Praetorians if you get the Jötunns"._

_"Fire-blades?"_ Spear Mint asked.

"_Why not"_ Lind said and then stood. "_Let's go"_. Then, with a shout, she shouldered the door open, taking those inside by surprise. She flicked her thumb across one of the boosters and rocketed up to the nearest Praetorian. She sliced at her with her halberd, splitting open her midriff and then kicking her away. Before the others could respond, she back-swung her weapon and struck the male Praetorian full in the face with the rear blade of her Halberd.

"RAGING INFERNO BLADE!" Her angels shot forth and sliced at the giants with their blades, burning through the horrifying, blue monstrosities with a shriek of steaming flesh. Lind meanwhile released her halberd and brought out her seax, slicing it across the throat of the third Praetorian and then side-stepped the fourth, revered the blade and jammed the blade between her opponent's shoulder blades who collapsed, gurgling. Finally, she turned to her final enemy, the commander of this little group, as she drew her talwar and prepared to hack down the Valkyrie Captain. She swung and was sure that she would hit her mark, only for Lind's eyes to flash gold as she released her full power and caught the blade between her palms. With a flick of her wrist, Lind tossed aside the sword and then, in a final blow, she clapped both hands together, one on each of the Praetorian's temples, caving in both helmet and skull, killing her instantly. Lind took a moment to calm herself, allowing her eyes to fade back from gold to blue and then she turned to her angels.

"You two ok?"

"Piece of cake" Cool Mint said. "They never saw it coming". Lind nodded and her angels disappeared back inside her as she retrieved her halberd. Finally, she turned to face the great doors and muttered a complicated phrase that was a combination of Old Norse and complex mathematics. Nothing happened.

"Ah, they've changed the password" she muttered.

_"If I may make a suggestion…" _Cool Mint said and she told Lind of what she reckoned the new password was likely to be. And despite the fact it made Lind laugh, it made sense. Jago's mother was probably still inside and she had his sense of humour.

"Ok" she said. "OPEN SESAME!" There was a clicking noise and doors suddenly and ponderously, began to swing outwards. "Well that worked". Hefting her blood-stained halberd, Lind stepped through the door and into the light of the control room… only to be met by a screaming banshee in black latex panties and a Guns and Roses shirt. Her hammer collided with Lind's halberd as she continued to scream but she stopped when she realised who she had attacked.

"Oh… hi Lind" Peorth said nervously, lowering her hammer. "We thought-"

"I get it" said Lind. "So you're still here? I thought you would have tried to make your escape". Peorth shook her head.

"You know I'm no good in a real fight. I thought I would be of more use in here then out there". Lind nodded and then glanced down at Peorth's shirt, raising an eyebrow and making the rose-goddess blush. "Long story" she said. "Now, I'm guessing that you'll be wanting a situation report?" Lind nodded as the heavy doors sealed themselves shut behind her and Peorth led her into the heart of the control room. "Ah_, mon déesse (*1)_, but the situation is bad. We're really up shit creek without a paddle. It seems that almost every major system is offline or damaged. We're periodically having to completely reboot just to see whether our bodged repairs have worked… and most of the time, it turns out that they haven't". She paused and then turned to face Lind. "But we have a more serious problem right now".

"What?" Lind asked impatiently.

"It's Lady Anzus… she's been injured. She's in a very bad way".

8888

Jago set his bag down and surveyed the place that he had chosen as his bastion. Hero's Plaza was pretty much what it said on the packet; a square set in the middle of a cross-roads, surrounded by buildings and with a fountain in the centre of the plaza, decorated by a bronze statue of a pair of grim faced Valkyries, standing back-to-back, weapons at the ready.

"Alright" Jago said, "let's set up our defences". He turned to the assembled goddesses, now numbering close to two-hundred. "Ok… any non-combatants, I want you over on the far side of the fountain. Any Valkyrie Trainees, go with them. You're to provide a last line of defence in the event that our main forces are overrun. However, anyone with medical experience, I need you to set up shop near Urd, on the near side of the fountain and prepare to receive wounded. I suggest that you tank up with coffee and grub while you can as you're all in for a Hell of a day. Auxiliaries, I want you to start clearing the buildings in this area. See if there's anyone inside and more importantly, whether there's enough stuff lying around to throw up a few barricades. And Valkyries… set up a cordon across the four streets. You hold that line for as long as you can. DO NOT LET ANYONE PAST. Everyone got that?" A few nods. "I can't hear you!"

"Yes sir!"

"Good! Now get on with it!" The various goddesses filed away, all heading to their various tasks.

"So what do I do?" Weth asked as she stood beside Jago.

"You stand in the middle on the square and look as proud and intimidating as possible. You're the bulwark here, a symbol of our resistance".

"And you Master? What are you going to be doing?" Jago shrugged.

"I'm going on the roofs lass. Someone needs to keep an eye open for the Jötunns when they come… and they are coming, you can count on that. And I also want to work something out".

"What?"

"Why the Hell haven't we seen any Praetorians lately?"

8888

Lady Anzus was deathly pale as Lind approached, the front of her robe stained with blood. However, she managed a weak smile as the sight of the Valkyrie.

"Captain… it's good to see you" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You too my Lady" Lind said, bowing her head. "Peorth said you were wounded but I didn't-"

"I'll live" Anzus said. "But how are you? I heard that Deaderuss made you lose your baby". Lind winced but nodded.

"Yes. However, I was lucky. Twins". Anzus nodded, whilst inside she was cursing herself for her blunder. She had spent far too long without this kind of social contact and was unsure how to act around the Valkyrie.

"Yes, you were lucky in that case". She paused and looked Lind straight in the eye. "Now tell me Captain, how are my daughters? Is Belldandy alright? And what of Skuld?"

"They're both fine last I heard. Belldandy is still on Earth, recovering from her separation from her angel. Skuld however is here but she's fine. She's in Jago's aircraft, flying well above the altitude at which the Praetorians are operating. She's safe". Anzus nodded.

"Good. And what of your man? Is he alright?"

"Jago's fine too. He's co-ordinating the defences". Lind paused and looked critically at Anzus's wound. "If I may ask my Lady, how-"

"Did I get this? I was trying to help Lord Tyr fight off a wave of Praetorians but was attacked from behind. He tried to save me but…" She shook her head. "I blacked out before he reached me. I can only assume that he's either dead or captured. You don't have any news do you?" Lind shook her head.

"That's part of the reason I came here" she said. "To try and find out what has happened to him". Anzus nodded and sighed.

"I see" she said and then looked up as a goddess approached. It was Ex, the silver haired system administer had appeared, her usual robes swapped for jeans and a AC/DC shirt. She bowed slightly to the two senior goddess's as Anzus nodded her greeting.

"So Ex, how goes it?"

"Not well my Lady" she said simply, pulling a holographic data sheet from thin air. "Complete list of Yggdrasil system damage" she read. "Core files and data, damage level critical, thirteen per cent functional. Goddess support system, damage level critical, seventeen per cent functional. Energy transfer system, damage level critical, seven per cent functional. Doublet system interface, damage level terminal, system inoperable. Debugging system, damage level critical, fourteen per cent functional. Earth stability system, damage level heavy, fourty-three per cent functional Automated d-"

"Alright, alright, I get it" Anzus said. "What's the overall extent of the damage?"

"Urr… total damage is severe to critical. We estimate that Yggdrasil is operating only between one third and one quarter capacity. Most attempts to fix the things have been unsuccessful although the Paladin's mother has succeeded in getting the coffee maker working again".

"Small mercies" Anzus said. "How long do you estimate until we're back at full capacity?"

"Unknown" Ex said simply. "If we had a full team of repair specialists and the right tools and equipment, then I would say that we could be back at full functionality in a month. But… as you know, it's just me, Ere, Peorth and Tam, using whatever we can find to bodge whatever looks like it will stay together. And half the stuff we DO fix is broken again within the hour". Anzus nodded.

"I see" she said. "in that case, I suggest that you return to work… and I suggest that the Captain goes with you" She nodded at Lind. Lind bowed her head slightly.

"As you wish my Lady" and then she held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to be of service to you". Anzus gave her a quizzical look at this unusual gesture but finally she shook Lind's hand. And when she pulled her had away, she saw that there was something stuck to her palm.

"A sedative patch" she said mildly. "Very sneaky". And with that, the second most powerful goddess in Heaven slowly collapsed backwards.

"What did you give her?" Ex asked as Lind checked Anzus's pulse.

"I stole a couple of Jago's extra strong sedative patches, the ones with the powerful healing spell attached. She'll be fine in just a few hours". She then stood and turned back to face Ex. "Now then, you had better show me exactly what's what. I need to know exactly what's what in a way that I can understand as a soldier".

"You mean words shorted than three letters?" Ex suggested with a snigger but Lind scowled.

"Are you trying to annoy me? Or are you just thick?" She clenched her fist, cracking her knuckles for emphasis and making Ex pale.

"No…yes…no…right… ok, I'll urr… show you what you need to see".

8888

Lind's inspection of the damage to Yggdrasil's systems was short and sweet. Ere, also dressed in a pair of jeans and a Black Sabbath shirt had given her a quick run through of the system damage as Lind listened intently. In the end, it was obvious; while the system was still operating but just barely.

"Is there anything that you can do to speed up the repair process?" she asked, leaning forward to inspect Ere's screen.

"I'm afraid not Captain. If we try and rush things, we'll use up our extremely limited quantity of spare parts. And we don't have enough goddess-cloths to make boost the system". Lind looked confused.

"Cloths?"

"The Paladin's mother" she said, indicating the cloths she was currently wearing. "Apparently, our usual robes are had some sort of link which allowed her to work with those parts that she can't usually touch. And those bits that were left, she's turned into a super-conductor".

"She… turned you cloths…into a super-conductor?"

"Yes. Don't ask me to explain it, I'm not sure how it works but it has been getting results".

"Well that certainly explains what you're wearing now" Lind said, indicating Ere's unusual outfit.

"Well yes" she said, blushing. "But there's also the fact that she likes to listen to classic rock music as she works and she's got us all kind of hooked".

"Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Guns and Roses by any chance?"

"Yes". Lind nodded, trying to hide a small smile. "Well, whatever the case may be, I think I need to get moving again. I have to report this all to Jago as he's in charge at the moment". She paused. "If I seal the doors behind me when I leave, will you and the others be alright in here? I heard that the Praetorians were looking at sending a specialist hacking team to break in here".

"Don't worry about us" Ex said, emerging from bellow the console. "We have a special seal on the doors that nobody else knows about. Anyone who attempts to break in will have their spells reflected back at them, probably killing them in the process". Lind nodded.

"Alright" she said. "Then for now, I'll leave you to it. But I can't promise how soon we'll be able to get you out of here. Are you prepared for a siege?"

"You had better believe it" Tam said, sliding out from under her own console. "We've got enough food stored away to last for months and enough tea and biscuits to sink a ship. We can stay here as long as we need to". Lind nodded.

"Alright, in that case, seal the door as soon as I've left. For now, need to get going. We need to know exactly what's happened to the Almighty One".

8888

Lind could smell something awful as she ascended the last few steps to the top the tower that was serving as the Almighty One's temporary office. It was a foul stench; thick and cloying and honey sweet. It was the scent of death. It did not bode well. And when she entered the room, she gaged. She had never seen such a horrifying scene in her life, in all her years as a Valkyrie. For the scent of death was emanating from half a dozen goddesses. They had been crucified. She felt her stomach churn at the sight of those Valkyrie and loyalist Praetorians, all murdered in the most brutal fashion. Each had been raped, had their arms broken, their heads shaved, eyes put out and arms broken and then staked to makeshift crosses via Jötunn knives thrust through their palms and feet. Worst of all, it appeared as if the Jötunns had actually started to EAT their captives while they had still been alive, judging from the wounds to their arms and legs. And it was then that Lind heard a gasp, making her turn and face one of the crucified women. It was Captain Irpa. _And she was still alive!_

"Irpa!" Lind shouted, crossing to the other Captain and pulling the cross down off the wall.

"Lind? Is that you?" Irpa whispered as Lind lowered her to the floor, making the other Captain gasp as she pulled the knives free. Gently, Lind cradled her fellow Captain, holding her close.

"Yes Irpa, it's me. I'm here". Irpa leaned forward, running her bloodied hand across Lind's face, staring up at her with the empty sockets where her deep blue eyes had once been.

"I'm sorry Lind. We couldn't save him".

"What happened Irpa?"

"Just after the Almighty returned, the Jötunns arrived and the Praetorians turned against us. I was on a security detail here when they came. We held for a while but their numbers started to take their toll on us, until the Almighty One himself, joined the fray. He slew hundreds of our enemies and for a moment, we thought we might win but then…" Her voice faded away.

"Then?"

"Then Deaderuss appeared, with a dozen Knights of the Inner Circle. They defeated the Almighty, captured him and left the rest of us to be overrun". She paused, shaking. "They killed everyone. Every god, every goddess. Every man, woman and child. And then Jötunns started eating them… sometimes while they were still alive. But they kept us alive me, one other Valkyrie and four Praetorians who refused to rebel. And… you can see what they did to us. And now, I am the last". She coughed, blood flecking her lips and then she smiled. "But you came Lind and I am thankful. You are the most loyal of Valkyries. I was wrong to ever doubt you". She smiled weakly. "I only ask one thing of you".

"What is it?" Lind whispered.

"I ask that protect those you can. Save everyone you can. And Especially that paladin of yours. And your baby". And looked down to see Irpa's hand hovering just above her stomach, running a scan with the last of her strength. "My word! She's beautiful!" she whispered as she felt the heartbeat of Lind's unborn daughter. "I wish I could have met her. And I hope that she will become as strong and noble as her mother". And she smiled a little more, as if she had made her peace. "Goodbye Lind Mighty-Wing. We will meet again one day, I am sure of it. And while I have always called you rival, I hope that now, I might call you friend. And perhaps… as I once did… little sister". And then, ever so quietly, she expired, drifting away into eternal slumber. Lind sat silently for a second, holding the broken from of her former friend and rival and then gently, she leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodbye Captain Irpa Valmeyar-daughter. I will see you soon, my big sister". Gently, Lind lay her older sister's body to rest and then stood, wiping her eyes, feeling an aching sense of loss. She had always hated her older sister. In fact, the feeling had been mutual. But her loss hurt. It hurt a lot. But now was not the time to weep. She had to get back to Jago. She had discovered what she needed to know; that the Almighty one had indeed been captured and just how bad the situation with Yggdrasil really was. But before she could move, a sharp voice cut through her thoughts.

"Well wasn't that touching" the voice sneered. "I have to say Lind, I would never have expected you to have had a sister. But then again, I would never have expected to see you here at all. I was expecting the Paladin, not you". And Lind turned very slowly, to face her mocking opponent.

"Angrboða" she hissed.

"What's the matter?" sneered the demon. "Aren't you pleased to see me?" Lind didn't answer, just summoned up her Halberd and launched herself at the Praetorian commander. Angrboða sighed and flicked a thumb under her robe, then suddenly blurred aside, easily dodging Lind's attack. And then, with a cruel grin on her lips, she round-house kicked Lind in the side, sending the stunned Valkyrie through the wall.

"Ow" she muttered to herself as she pulled herself up, leaning heavily on her halberd. "Damn she's fast". Just then, Angrboða stepped through the hole that Lind had just made, smiling at her as she flicked aside her cloak, revealing the biggest battery of boosters that Lind had ever seen. She had to have more than twenty of them on each arm, going from her shoulders to her elbows.

"No bad Lind, but as you can see, I can out boost you. You'll never so much as land a single hit. Especially as I'm going to be using THIS against you". And with a flourish, she summoned the Almighty's hammer, Mjolnir and spun it around her fist, its surface crackling with electrical energy. "Now I'm going to enjoy this…" she said with a wink. And then, she swung the hammer, sending a bolt of lightning arcing towards Lind…

8888

Jago slid down off of the roof, landing on the street with barely a grunt of effort and then headed off toward one of the Valkyrie defence lines.

"All Valkyries, form up on me!" he shouted. By now, the number of goddesses had swollen to nearly four-thousand, with a quarter of their number composed of Valkyries. And now, they would be facing their first challenge. "Listen up" he called out. "There is a large force of Jötunns heading down this road. We need to drive them back from here as best we can. Now, the Auxiliaries can handle the defence of our rear and flanks for now; all you have to do is follow me and-"

"Why?" Jago stopped mid-speech as grizzled Valkyrie Captain stepped up. "Why the Hell should we listen to anything that you say? Yesterday you were a traitor! Today, we're betrayed by the Praetorians and yet, we discover that you are keeping Deaderuss's own apprentice as a standard-bearer! On top of that, you're probably the youngest of the lot of us and have probably never fought in a proper battle before. So with all due respect _Paladin_, why the fuck should we listen to you?" Jago raised an eyebrow and then headed over to the Captain, stopping just short of her.

"You wanna know why you should listen to me?" he asked, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair. Then with a sudden jerk, he head-butted her in the making middle of the face, making the Captain stagger away, bleeding heavily from her crushed nose. Jago replaced his Stetson and glared around at the assembled ranks of the Valkyries, looking each of them in turn in the face. "NOW LISTEN UP!" he shouted. "You have no idea who I am or where I come from and I'm not about to tell you my whole life story. All I need to be to you all is a fixed point. The last man standing. I don't need your sympathy or your admiration. All I need are your compliance and you fighting skills. And if I can't have them then you can just fuck the Hell off! Do I make myself clear?" There were a few affirmative mutterings. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YES SIR!" the Valkyries roared back and Jago grinned.

"GOOD! Because today, we're going face these monsters at our door and show them that we will not go quietly into the night! For today, we are cancelling the Apocalypse! In fact, I would say that it's time to nut up and shut up!" And with a flourish, he summoned both his twenty pound maul and his heavy tower shield. "So who's with me?" There was an almighty roar from the Valkyries and a thousand weapons flashed in the sunlight as Jago turned to face the oncoming giants. "Form up on me!" he called out as the Valkyries closed in on either side, weapons at the ready. But then Jago paused, set his maul down on the ground and pulled out his borrowed radio. "Hey Skuld, I've got a job for you".

"What is it?"

"Stick some fighting music on over the loud-speakers. Something… heavy metal".

8888

Lind knew she was dead. The lightning of Mjolnir was very nearly the most powerful force in all of creation, capable of shattering planets. And there was no way she could dodge it. She was dead. But then she wasn't. As if on their own, Lind's arms rose planting the butt of her halberd firmly against the ground and the blade directly in the path of the lightning. And to the surprise of both herself and the Praetorian, the lightning struck the end of the weapon, crackled down the length of the haft and earthed itself through the butt.

"How did I-" Lind started to say but was interrupted by a strange knocking sensation, like someone tapping on the back of her eyeballs.

"_It was me!"_ a voice said. "_Jago thought you could do with a little more firepower, so he told me to look after you!" _And Lind's eyes went wide.

"JUPITER? What are you doing in my head?"

"_I just told you_" the Opal-Essence said with a little exasperation. "_Jago told me to look after you so that's what I'm doing. So, what do you say?"_ Lind paused and then nodded.

"Alright, let's do this!" With that, Lind shot forward, her eyes flash first from blue to gold and then, finally to red as Jupiter's power flooded her system. Angrboða swiped one of her boosters and successfully dodged Lind's halberd, only for the built-in brass knuckles of one of Lind's fists to crash into her shoulder, shattering the Praetorian's collar bone and sending her reeling backwards, into the office. She fell to her knees, still clasping Mjolnir and launched herself back towards the Lind-Jupiter combo. But then she saw a gleam of metal and tried to boost out of the way, using all of her remaining boosters to try and escape. However, the revolver tracked her easily and even as her muscles tore free from her bones, crippling her permanently, she saw the gun flash. And then she felt the agonising sting as the .45 shell struck her shoulder and flooded her system with silver-nitrate. Screaming, she raised Mjolnir in one last act of defiance and fired off another bolt of lightning. But Lind-Jupiter was ready for it and with terrifying ease, they caught the blast and collected the energy in their palm before flicking it back at the crippled Praetorian, striking her and making her shake horribly as the electrical discharge fried her nerves and singed her hair and cloths. Finally, Lind-Jupiter took a step forward, towering over their fallen enemy, reaching down and casually plucking Mjolnir from her unresisting hand and stowing it under her shoulder-wings while simultaneously holstering the revolver. And then, to Angrboða's horror, Lind's eyes flashed full red as Jupiter took complete control. But he wasn't attacking her; he was talking to Lind.

"Alright lass, we've beaten her. Now let's go". But Lind's eyes flashed to the gold of her full power form.

"No Jupiter. This is my body and I'm in charge. We can't leave her alive", and she hefted her halberd. "She deserves to die".

"Don't be foolish Lind" Jupiter said, with Lind's eyes going red again. "As it was said to Lamb, you're not an arbiter. And as much as I am an evil old sod with a vicious streak a mile wide, I would rather we didn't have any more blood on our hands than is necessary".

"What do you mean?"

"I mean; save it for Deaderuss. Besides, there are plenty more foes to fight this day". And then Lind took control again but now her eyes were blue, not gold.

"Alright Jupiter, I will trust you this once. But you had better be right".

"I'm always right lass".

"Hmm". With that, Lind turned away, carrying her halberd along with her, leaving the crippled Praetorian to lie amongst the dead. Several minutes passed. Music began to play in some street, a deep bass rock tune. And whimpering with the effort, the crippled Praetorian used a Dimensional Slide spell, disappearing from the office with a crackle of electricity. She had failed.

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"God damn it!" Jago swore as Lamb probed one of the wounds in his arm where the bullets had struck him. "Hardly anyone injured in the first attack but I'm one of them AND I probably got the nastiest.

"Stop moaning Master!" she said as she sort for purchase on the slippery thing. "At least you survived!" With a sudden gasp, she managed to get a grip on the round and yanked it free. "There, now one more to go" she said, flicking the blood off of the pliers but Jago stopped her.

"I think it would be better if I just pushed this one through he said. "It'd be more trouble than it's worth to try and yank it out". Lamb nodded cautiously.

"Alright Master" she said and turned to face Damascus. "Get ready to cauterise" she said. The devil nodded, gripping the bundle of taped matches tightly in one hand as Jago took a deep breath, pushed a finger into the wound and then, with a shout, shoved the bullet all the way through.

"GO!" Lamb shouted and Damascus struck the matches, letting them flare up and then waving them out and jamming them into the wound to sear it close and stop the bleeding. Jago screamed like a wild beast and thumped the ground beside him with a balled fist.

"Here Master" Damascus said, handing him a bottle of his deadly Suicider, half of which he downed quickly.

"It's a shame that they were spent rounds" he said finally a she gasped and wrapped a bandage around his arm. "If the shooter was closer, they would have probably have just gone straight through".

"True" said a voice. "But then you would have probably been killed and it would have robbed me of the opportunity of killing you myself". They all looked up as Lind dropped from one of the roof-tops, her face furious.

"You still alive you bugger?" Jago asked.

"Yeah" Lind said. "And you can have THIS back!" With a grunt, she thumped Jago in the stomach, transferring Jupiter back across to him. "That was bloody horrible! How can you live with something that evil living inside of you?"

"You get used to it" Jago said. "But I was right wasn't I? You needed the extra firepower". Lind gave a grudging nod.

"In this case yes. Angrboða turned out to be a much tougher opponent than I expected. However, with Jupiter here, I managed to turn it into a… I'm trying to think of the right phrase. A curb-stomp battle? Yes, that's it. Between us, we curb-stomped that Praetorian". Jago nodded.

"That's good. Now what's the bad news? I know that there's bad news coming". And so, Lind told him about the extensive damage to the Yggdrasil systems. She told him about Hild and how Mara and Hagall were struggling to defend their realm. And she told him about the Almighty. As proof, she showed him Mjolnir as confirmation of their Lord's capture. And she sighed.

"So now what do we do?" she asked. "Without the Almighty One, we're screwed. There's no-one who can authorise an evacuation or the bringing in of reinforcements except him".

"Why are you asking me?" Jago said. "I don't know anything about this kind of stuff".

"Because you are the highest ranking officer here. Technically speaking, you have the right to requisition just about anything you want. And that means you could requisition the entire Valkyrie corps if you needed to. But you DON'T have the authority to make any decisions directly linked to Heaven OR Hell. You're the balancing entity you see". Jago nodded and tapped his chin.

"Alright then. But I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to do".

"Perhaps I could make a suggestion?" Lamb said. "If we're to make an effective defence of Heaven, we need the Almighty One, right? Well, why don't we simply promote someone to the rank of Almighty One? I mean, all it says in the rules is that there has to be AN Almighty One. It doesn't say anything about it having to be Lord Tyr". She got three blank looks and sighed. "Alright, I'll admit it wasn't my best idea but-"

"I think we should do it" Damascus said, interrupting the angel. "It makes sense; if the Almighty has been taken prisoner, then it figures that we should bring in a new one… and possibly a new Daimankaichō too". And Lind nodded in agreement.

"I concur. We NEED an Almighty One if we're going to win this war". She paused. "However, there's a problem. So long as he has heirs alive, it has to be one of them who becomes the Almighty One. Belldandy would be the obvious choice but she's not here so that leaves…"

"Skuld and Urd" Jago finished. "Neither of whom is really suited to the job… Alright, we need more opinions. I'll call Skuld and get her to land. Lamb, find Urd. The rest of you, I need you to track down the most senior surviving deities. This is going to be one difficult discussion and I'm going to need every point of view"

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Deaderuss grinned as Angrboða materialised, supported by one of her Knights of the Inner Circle. It was good to see that stuck-up demon bitch suffer.

"You appear to have failed my Lady" he said snidely as the Knight helped her Mistress to sitting position.

"I was taken by surprise" she protested. "Captain Lind was the one who arrived, not the Paladin and I thought I would have an easy victory. However, I underestimated her".

"How so?"

"That Twoarch bastard somehow transferred Jupiter to her. I didn't stand a chance! I barely escaped with my life!" But Deaderuss gave her a cold look.

"You were defeated?"

"Yes my Lord. I used up all my boosters. That and the silver nitrate in my blood has crippled me so it's unlikely I'll ever be able to fight again". She tapped her head. "However, my mind is still as sharp as ever. I can still out think these fools and with us together, we can beat them with ease".

"Actually Angrboða, it will just be me". And with that, Deaderuss pulled his de-winging knife from his belt and hurled it at his doublet partner, piercing her heart. "You've failed me for the last time, you demon whore. You will not share in the glory of Kronos's coming. Instead, you will become a mere footnote in the history of the new order". And then he turned to the stunned demon who was still supporting the now dead leader of the demonic Praetorian guard. "Congratulations, you have just been promoted to head of the demon Praetorians. So, what would you suggest we do?" The demon was still stunned by the sudden death of her commander but eventually, she spoke.

"We could… call a truce?" Deaderuss's eyes narrowed.

"Explain".

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"I say that Skuld should be the new Almighty One!" the goddess stated. "I'll admit that she's young but she is far smarter than most of us. She would-"

"She's reckless, immature and impulsive!" a Valkyrie Captain stated. "Not to mention that she is TOO young. The Almighty must be of at least eighteen years of age and she is yet to even qualify for a First Class License".

"Well Belldandy would be the obvious choice but she's not here and we don't have time to go and collect her.

"What about Urd?"

"She can't take the job! She's half-demon for crying out loud! She'd never…" The discussion seesawed back and forth across the rear of the Tanngrisnir as the twenty or so goddesses tried to decide on who to select as the new Almighty One.

"Do you think they're deliberately trying to insult us or that they've just forgotten that we're here?" Skuld asked as she stood beside Lind, Urd and Jago.

"It's never nice to hear what people REALLY think about you" Jago said, popping a nicotine gum into his mouth. "And this was definitely a bad day to quit smoking".

"Why don't you just go and tell them who to vote for?" Urd asked. "You are the Paladin after all".

"Two reasons" Jago said. "Firstly; I'm just the Paladin. I keep the peace between Heaven and Hell but I'm not allowed to directly influence any major decisions for either of them. It's one of those nasty little clauses that's hidden away at the bottom of my contract".

"And secondly?" Lind asked.

"I would probably be better off playing "Bobbing for Snapping-Turtles" than trying to persuade these goddesses of anything against their will. I have a feeling that any moment now, this is going to break down into a cat-fight of epic proportions and any man knows that if he's caught in the middle of something like that, he's going to get fed his own private parts on the end of a skewer". A few faint smiles at that image but they quickly faded.

"And all the time they talk, our enemies are bearing down on us" Skuld said. "It's not like I would even want to be the Almighty One. I wouldn't even know where to start!"

"Same here" said Urd. "And I think Belldandy would concur. She's got Keiichi and it's difficult to have much of a social life as the Almighty One, as well a new mother". She sighed. "Ideally, we would have a fourth option; someone who can handle the pressure, at least until we can get Tyr back on the throne and who can also co-ordinate with our allies to try and stop this invasion".

"Yeah but we don't have a fourth option" Jago said.

"So who would you vote for? Under the circumstances?" Urd asked.

"As it stands, you Urd. Belldandy isn't here and I'm afraid Skuld's too titchy to be the Almighty One. That just leaves you I'm afraid".

"HEY! I'M NOT TITCHY!"

"I can put my elbow flat on the top of your head without much trouble and then use you as a leaning post. That makes you titchy in my books". Jago sighed. "But at this rate, it looks like I'm going to have to force a vote. You ready Urd?"

"Do I have much choice?" the bronze skinned goddess said.

"Well perhaps you do" Damascus said, appearing behind Jago. "You forget Master, Lord Tyr has four daughters".

"What are you talking about girl?"

"Remember what Valmeyar told you? Back at the forge?" And then Jago twigged.

"You're right. She's old enough for sure… oh and more than strong enough".

"What are you saying? What fourth daughter?" Urd demanded. Jago just winked and unslung his rifle, loading a blank shell.

"Just give me a second and I'll explain. But first, I need to shut this lot up". With that, he pulled the trigger and the aircraft was suddenly filled with smoke and noise. "RIGHT THEN!" he boomed as the smoke started to clear. "This discussion isn't getting us anywhere so if I might lend a machete to this intellectual thicket? Urd is half-demon and that's unlikely to go down well with the general populace. Belldandy would be the obvious choice and as it stands, she is set to inherit the throne anyway. However, she isn't here right now and it would take too long and be too dangerous to go and collect her. And while I like Skuld, she's too young; I think you'll all agree. So where does that leave us?"

"Right back at square one, if you don't mind me saying my Lord" one of the goddesses said. "None of the are really suitable as the situations stands". But Jago held up a hand.

"But that's where you're wrong. You see, there is a fourth option". Silence.

"How can that be?" someone demanded. "The Almighty One only had three daughters; Urd, Belldandy and Skuld".

"That's where you're wrong" Damascus said. "You see, about a month and a half ago, my Master and I learned some rather interesting information. Tyr… the Almighty One… he had a fourth daughter, via an extramarital affair. She's his bastard daughter but she's old enough to be the Almighty, she's strong and she has more than enough brains for the job".

"An illegitimate daughter?" Skuld asked. "You mean that our dad…"

"Yes. And I'm sorry that this is the way that you had to find out about this" Damascus said.

"Well then who is she?" Lind asked, uncrossing her arms and standing up straight. "An illegitimate daughter isn't ideal but if it was only temporary, it would work. But a who is she? And where can we find her?" Damascus turned and she pointed at Lind.

"She's right there" she said. "It's you Lind. You're the Almighty's illegitimate fourth daughter".

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Silence filled the aircraft as they all tried to comprehend what had just been said.

"I-I'm… the Lord Tyr's _daughter?" _ Lind said hesitantly. "That doesn't make any sense at all! I-"

"You never knew your father, right?" Damascus said. "Shortly after being forced to leave Hild and during his courtship of Lady Anzus, your father, Lord Tyr, had an affair with a member of his security team, your mother; Lady Valmeyar. And with a series unfortunate consequences, she became pregnant with you at approximately the same time as Anzus with Belldandy. And you were born first, which technically meant that you were the next in line for the throne. However, as the bastard daughter, you were a source of potential embarrassment and so the High Council voted that you should be separated from you father". The devil paused and looked across at Jago. "Did I get everything?"

"Most of it" Jago said. Lind gave him a hurt look.

"You knew Jago? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Your mother swore me to secrecy. If I had told anyone, I would have been killed, as well as whoever I had told and more to the point, YOU Lind. They would have killed you". Lind looked into his eyes and she saw nothing but the truth coming from him. But he was a hard man to read and so, she did something that she promised herself that she would never do again. Something she hadn't done to Jago since she had first been banished and she had wanted to see just how sorry he really was for his part in her banishment. She did an emotional scan on her lover. And he was telling the truth. He knew how painful it was to hear this and he was sorry but he was telling the truth and at the moment, it seemed like the best cause of action.

"I believe you" she said finally. "My predicament was caused by the High Council but if what you said is true then I am the only one for the job. If I must, I shall accept the post of Almighty One, if only as a temporary measure". She turned and faced the crowd of assembled goddesses. "Would you accept me as your Almighty One?" she asked.

"Well… we'd need some proof" someone said. "Proof that you are indeed the Almighty's daughter that is".

"I can do that" Damascus said. "Lind, do you still have the Almighty One's hammer?" Lind nodded and passed over Mjolnir to the devil. "Good and now… I need something with which you have a strong emotional attachment. The strongest possible. Preferably something with a link to someone important to you". Lind shrugged and was about to hand over her halberd but then she paused, as if considering something. And very slowly and quite deliberately, she reached inside her shirt, just above her left breast and withdrew a folded piece of paper which she handed to the Damascus.

"Here. That's as good as it gets" she said. Damascus unfolded it and then smiled. It was a picture of Jago.

"Yes, this should work". She then stamped a foot and with a flash, a magic circle appeared within the floor of the aircraft. "Now just watch" she said, placing the two objects in mid-air in the centre of the circle. And they did as Damascus began to chant. Slowly, the two items started to glow blue, until finally, they were surrounded by a pale blue fire. "Well that confirms it. She's Lord Tyr's daughter. All fathers have an emotional connection to their daughter, as their daughters do to others and this ring shows that link. If there was not link, there would be no fire. Blue fire, strong link. And this is a VERY blue fire". She grasped both items and handed them back to Lind. "So does anyone have any questions?"

"Does this mean that Lind is actually our _sister?" _Skuld asked, still gobsmacked.

"Half-sister" Jago said. "Your older sister and Belldandy's too, but Urd's junior".

"Don't think this means you're getting a Christmas present from me" Lind said sternly but then she stiffened as Skuld hugged her around the waist.

"I can't believe it! I have another big sister!" she said, tears in her eyes.

"Welcome to the family Lind" Urd said. "But remind me to punch our father after this is all over". Lind nodded and finally managed to unfreeze herself, gently hugging Skuld. But then she released her and turned to Jago.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Well, we need two members of the High Council to sign off on you becoming the Almighty One. Once that's done, it'll be official. You'll be the new Almighty One."

"But where are we going to find another member of the High Council around here? The only one nearby is Deaderuss…"

"Well, maybe I can help with that" Jago said and stuck his head out of the plane. "WETH! YOU SAVAGE! COME 'ERE!" A few seconds later, Weth appeared at the tail of the plane, panting a little.

"Yes my Lord?"

"Today's your lucky day!" Jago said. "How'd you like to become my First Deputy?"

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Ten minutes later, they exited the plane, Jago leading the way. The crowd around Hero's Plaza had grown considerably by now; five-thousand Valkyries and nearly twenty-thousand other gods and goddesses.

"Well here goes nothing" Jago said, cupping his hands to his mouth. "OK! LISETN UP! THE ALMIGHTY ONE, LORD TYR HAS BEEN CAPTURED BY THE EMEMY! AS SUCH, THE DECISION HAS BEEN TAKEN TO VOTE IN A NEW ALMIGHTY ONE FOR THE DURATION OF THIS CRISIS!"

"Who is it?" someone shouted out. "Is it Belldandy?"

"BELLDANDY IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE AND NEITHER URD NOR SKULD WERE DEEMED SUITABLE!"

"Then who?"

"THE ALMIGHTY'S FOURTH DAUGHTER! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAY I INTRODUCE TO YOU, YOUR NEW COMMANDER IN CHIEF, LADY LIND VALMEYAR-DAUGHTER!" With that, Lind stepped forward, taking her place beside Jago and folding her arms across her chest, a slight frown on her face. Near silence. In the distance, an ironic cricket.

"I don't think they like that idea" Lind said.

"How can she be Tyr's daughter?"

"Bastard daughter" Jago said simply. "Not ideal we know but we NEED an Almighty One and Lind fits the bill. So, what say you?" Silence. And then a chant. It built slowly, stating amongst the ranks of the Lind's First cohort but quickly spread to all the cohorts and then on to every god and goddess in Heaven.

"ALL HAIL LIND! ALL HAIL LIND! ALL HAIL LIND!" they chanted and then the cheers began, making Lind smile for the first time in months.

"Ok, maybe they do like me after all" she said and then turned to face the crowds. "Thank you, thank you" she said. "Now, there are a few things I must stress. Firstly, this is not permanent. As soon as we have saved Lord Tyr, I will step down. I should also point out that for as long as I am in charge, Jago is in charge of the military. Listen to him and follow his orders and we might just come out of this in one piece".

"Yeah" Jago said. "Just listen to me and- wait, what?"

"That's it for now. Return to your duties for now. But be ready. For today we go to war!" There was a final cheer from the crowd as Lind turned to Jago. "Now that's over with, give me a cigarette!"

"You don't smoke" Jago said. "And it'll be bad for the baby".

"We'll all be dead by the end of today, what's one cigarette going to matter?" Jago shrugged and pulled out the pack.

"Mind if I have one?" he said, holding them out to Lind.

"Go ahead. Like I said, we're all gonna die today, anyway" She paused as Jago lit it for her with his thumb light and took a draught, coughing. "My god! How can you smoke these things? It's like breathing poison!"

"That's basically what it is" Jago said, lighting his own. "So why'd you make me C-in-C of the army?"

"I told you; I'm no good at the big unit stuff. And besides, your dependable Jago."

"Oh man! I hate being fucking dependable!" It was then that a goddess approached the pair, bowing nervously.

"If you would excuse me Paladin, Lady Almighty, there is a matter that needs your attention".

"What is it Trainee?" Lind asked, turning to the Valkyrie who shuddered in the presence of the two most powerful warriors in Heaven.

"There's a Pretorian in the road my Lady. One of the Traitors".

"What does he want?" Lind demanded coldly.

"Well that's just it my Lay. He's carrying a flag of truce".

*1 Ah, my goddess, in French

**Authors Note: Well that was fun! My longest ever chapter, BY FAR! And look at everything that has happened! Heaven is in ruins and almost completely overrun, with nasty Praetorians and heavily armed Jötunns running amok. Deaderuss meanwhile has just killed his partner in crime and is now preparing to kill over a million people for something called and Empty. And Lind is now the Almighty One! So what do you guys think? Drop me a review and let me know! And you'd better stay tuned. The next chapter is going to be AWSOME!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Tactical Rethink **

"So do you remember what I told you?" Jago asked as they crossed the open ground between the two armies.

"I got it" Lind said, eyes fixed straight ahead. "But I'm not sure I'll get chance to say any of your more er… choice phrases". Jago shrugged.

"Suit yourself". The pair were accompanied by Weth, still carrying Jago's banner and she was understandably nervous. There may have been a truce called for now but meeting the heads of the enemy forces and the fact that she was technically a traitor to both sides made her incredibly nervous. Especially as they were alone. The trio stopped approximately half-way to the enemy army and watched as three figures detached themselves from the group and started towards them, exuding an air of confidence. Deaderuss was one of them, resplendent in white silk, gold and palladium scale mail covering his torso and his winged helmet glistening in the sun. The other two were a mystery until Weth spoke up.

"The Jötunn is King Surtr, their high chief. He was the one who Deaderuss has been in contact with".

"He isn't very big" Jago muttered.

"Don't be fooled Master. Surtr is truly formidable in battle. You see those wings upon his back? Those all came from a single battle where he took on a combined force of thirty Valkyries and Niflguard. It's the reason that he's the king; only the most brutal survive to become so".

"And what about the other one, the one carrying the flag?" Lind asked, gesturing towards the demon.

"She's called Pandora and she's a member of Angrboða's Inner Circle. But I don't understand what she's doing here. I thought that her Ladyship would-"

"That's probably my fault" Lind said. "I think I managed to cripple her to the point that she can't fight anymore".

"Cripple her? How?" Jago asked. Lind shrugged.

"Jupiter helped me to force her into using up all of her boosters at once. All twenty of the". Jago gave a gasp of sympathy.

"Ouch!"

"Ouch indeed" Deaderuss said as the trio stopped just short of their little group. "Still, she is nt longer a concern of yours. She's dead".

"Dead?" Lind asked. "I didn't think I hurt her THAT badly".

"Oh you didn't. I killed her". Lind looked stunned. And then her face turned to rage.

"You're a cold blooded bastard Deaderuss! You've killed not only my sister but your own comrade in arms and are-"

"Sister?" Jago asked, causing Lind to pause while he was counting on his fingers. "Wait… Belldandy's alive. So's Urd. And so's Skuld. So who am I missing?"

"Captain Irpa. She was my elder half-sister. It's part of the reason that we always had a rivalry".

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lind just shrugged again.

"You didn't ask".

"Lind, I'm sorry".

"Forget it. She died for her cause". But Deaderuss had been listening to the conversation and he raised an eyebrow to their discussion of sisters.

"If I might interrupt this little conversation, we have come to you under flag of truce in order to discuss your terms of surrender". He grinned. "Now normally, this would be a discussion that I would have with the Almighty One but as you know by now, he's been taken into our custardy. As such, I believe that makes you the highest ranked warrior officer that these rebels have Twoarchs".

"Who said anything about surrender?" Jago said but this just made Deaderuss grin wider.

"You really think that you can defeat us Twoarchs? Even with the strength of Jupiter and Pluto, you are hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. You might as well give up now while you have the chance".

"Two thing's Deaderuss. One; we have reinforcements on the way and when they get here, they're gonna rain on down with holy-hellfire. Two; I'm not the one you should be talking to. I'm not the one who's in charge here you see". Deaderuss's brow creased with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"What he means is that you should be talking to me Deaderuss" Lind said, stepping forward and crossing her arms. "I've just been promoted. I am the Almighty One". There was stunned silence for a few seconds as they digested this piece of information. But then, Deaderuss started to chuckle.

"I knew it!" he said. "You have always been strong Lind and the fact that you share certain features with him did make me suspicious".

"Certain features?" Deaderuss waved his hand in a distracted fashion.

"Your eyes, you powers, the fact that you both have twin angels". He paused and shook his head. "I'm drifting odd topic. Anyway, as you are the Almighty One Lind, I have an ultimatum for you are your… friends".

"Let's hear it then Deaderuss".

"You will surrender all forces under you control over to us. All Valkyries and Auxiliaries will surrender their weapons and then you will all be taken into custardy. If you resist, you will all die. It's as simple as that". Lind stared hard at her former friend.

"And what of those who surrender? What will happen to them?" Deaderuss shrugged.

"If you surrender, then most of you will die. But we will keep some of you alive". Surtr then stepped forward, the reek of his foul body making their eyes water.

"I believe that the plan is to keep you alive One-Wing. I would certainly like to see this baby of yours… young goddess is always the sweetest meat". Lind glared at the giant as he raised one hand to his sucked on each finger in turn with a profane leer of delight. "Little girls… finger licking good!"

"You could try" Jago said, stepping up and placing a reassuring hand on Lind's shoulder, "but I'd choke you with my gristle before you ever got near either her or our daughter". The giant leered crudely but there was a spark of respect in his eyes.

"Thank you Jago" Lind said and then turned back to Deaderuss. "No deal. I have come to learn the kind of treatment that our prisoners can expect from you and your foul ilk. You'd cut off the children's hands and slice the tendons in their necks. You'd have the men lined up against the wall and shot. And the women…" She shuddered. "After what I saw in the Almight-Lord Tyr's office, what you did to my fellow Valkyries, what you did to Irpa, I think that we would all prefer to die by the sword than under the heel of your boot. In other words Deaderuss…" and she flicked a thumb over a shoulder, dropping into Mancunian English, "JOG ON!" Deaderuss snarled, grinding his teeth but trying to remain civil.

"I am trying to be fair Lind. As such, I have one final offer for you personally; if you give yourself over to me Lind, then I will withdraw my Praetorians and leave now. You should be able to deal with the Jötunns with what little you're people have left and-"

"Almighty One! Paladin!" They all turned to see a messenger arriving from Heaven's forces. She paused and bowed her head. "I'm sorry to interrupt but there is news from the front".

"Speak girl" Lind said.

"Yes my Ladyship. We have just received word from Lady Valmeyar. Her cohort is under heavy attack and will be overwhelmed in the next few minutes". Lind was silent for a second and then nodded.

"Thank you for the update" she said and then turned back to Deaderuss… and punched him. "HOW DARE YOU! WHILE YOU TALK PEACE WITH ME, YOU CONTINUE YOUR FIGHT BEYOND OUR SIGHT! YOU HAVE KILLED MY SISTER AND MY MOTHER TODAY DEADERUSS! FOR THAT, YOU AND YOUR PRAETROIANS WILL SUFFER!" She punched him again, as he backed away, holding a hand to his bloodied face. He then withdrew his hand and upon seeing the blood on his palm, he roared and swung for her. Lind was ready however and she simply caught his hand in hers and then shoved back, forcing the Lord to punch himself in the face and sending him keeling away. She then turned to the other two and bowed her head. "Forgive me for that. You see, I cannot abide people who break their word. To you King Surtr and to you… Lady Pandora was it?" The demon nodded. "Good. To you two, I apologise. I wish this session had been more productive". Surprisingly, it was the giant who spoke next.

"I understand Almighty One. Now please, allow me extend my own offer to you. I am willing to let you surrender to us without more loss of life. You just have to say the word. And as I know that this is a difficult decision, I am willing to extend a courtesy to you. You will be given a two hour period on which to discuss the matter. My forces will not attack your little bastion here for that period. However, I must warn you that I have little control over my forces and while I can hold them back from your lines here, any forces located outside this little bastion are likely to be overrun during that period. They are Jötunns after all. I suggest that you evacuate your remaining allies back here while you still can. I will be expecting your rely soon. Make sure it is the right one". With that, he turned away and the demon followed, who was finally and reluctantly followed by Deaderuss who would pause occasionally to shoot Lind evil looks.

"Well then…" Jago said. "Two hours. Lot can happen in two hours. Do you think we can trust him?" Weth was the one who nodded.

"Yes. Jötunns may be foul but they have a perverse sense of honour. Surtr will honour his pledge".

"I concur" said Lind. "So now it's your turn Jago. You're the military commander; what do we do?" Jago didn't answer immediately, just turned and started to head back towards their lines.

"Right… gather everyone up. I'm planning an expedition".

"An expedition? To where?"

"You'll see. But before then, we need to get our little army ready. And that's not gonna be easy when most of the action that those girls have never got beyond an extremely vicious pillow fight". Lind was puzzled and frowned.

"I hope you're not talking about my Valkyries" she said.

"No. I mean the civvies. There's no such thing as a non-combatant today… oh and Weth?"

"Yes Master?"

"I need to know exactly how many units are still trapped behind enemy lines and exactly where they are. Once I know that, I can start sending out rescue parties… their going to need all the support they can get. Can you do that for me?" Weth saluted and smiled for the first time since joining up with them. Jago was trusting her. And it felt good.

"Yes sir!"

8888

"Alright ladies, I need your help" Jago called out to mass of goddesses who were crouched in the centre of Hero's Plaza, some clutching children, most simply hoping that the Valkyries could protect them. A few however turned towards him and one stood, her face grim.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are at your disposal. So what is it that you require Lord Jago?"

"I need anyone with ANY kind of fighting experience to step forward. We don't have anywhere near enough warriors to hold the line and-"

"My Lord, I'm sorry to interrupt" another goddess said, "but few of us have ever even HELD a weapon, much less fought with one". Jago frowned.

"I understand that" he said. "But YOU have to understand our situation here. We're out numbered, outgunned and low on supplies. Now, even if all of you were drafted into service, I doubt we could hold for much longer than a day. There are reinforcements on the way but they need time to get here. And I'm afraid time isn't something we have a great deal of. In fact, we have only two hours until the next attack… maybe less. At this point, we are looking at having to pull off a full evacuation but we have yet to finalise it, plus if we started evacuating in our current situation, they would simply overrun us before we could all get away. Basically, I need a few thousand of you who are to willing to help us hold the line while we can get at least the mothers and children out. Now I'm not going to sugar coat it; anyone who signs up is likely to be killed. But the only other option at this point is to sit here with blankets over you heads and wait for us all to be royally slaughtered. So, who's willing to sign up?"

"Would it help?"

"What?" Jago looked confused by the question.

"Sitting here with blankets over our heads? Would it help?" Jago sighed.

"Well it might make you feel a little better… up until the moment that the Jötunns break through and pillaging, raping and murdering. From what I'm told, there is extra emphasis on the last two". This caused much whispering among the goddesses until a fourth goddess stood.

"I'm in" she said. "But I'm not sure how much good I can be… I'm only a Third Class de-bugger". Jago paused and nodded.

"You're brave lass" he said and then paused, gesturing with his hand. "Come here". Nervously, she approached him bowing her head slightly.

"Yes sir?"

"What's your name lass?" The young goddess blushed.

"They call me Hamish".

"What?"

"My mother was working with a Scottish client at the time and they were expecting a boy…"

"The wonders of parenthood" Jago said. "Still, you can't do anything about your name. And now lass, I need you to take your stockings off". The young goddess blushed even redder as more whispers broke out amongst the crowd.

"My Lord?" she squeak, clearly embarrassed.

"You want to fight right? Well you need a weapon and a blackjack is better than nothing. I'd use my own socks but they're outlawed under Geneva convention as both biological and chemical weapons. Now; stockings. Take them off".

"I would do it if I were you" Lind said, appearing by beside him. "If Jago asks you for something, I suggest that you give it to him… no matter how odd his request is". She gave him a sideways glance in case he was being pervy but he looked serious so she decided to go with it as the young goddess slipped of her stockings and handed them to him.

"Good" he said and then stopped, picking up a broken half brick and stuffing it down it into the toe of one of them. He then took the second one and used to cover the outside the improvised weapon, before twisting the whole apparatus around a few times, shortening it and effectively thickening the whole thing. As a final test, he spun the whole device through the air, turning the simple thing into a dangerous improvised club. "There you go" he said, handing it back to her. "One blackjack. I'm not sure how long it'll last in combat and you can't block anything with it but so long as you aim for the head, you should be able to do some damage". The young goddess nodded and took the blackjack, spinning it experimentally and getting a feel for it.

"Thank you" she said and Jago nodded before turning to face the rest of the crowd. "You saw what I did; socks and stockings off girls".

"What about me?" A Second Class goddess stepped forward and indicated her flowing gown and sandaled feet. "How am I supposed to fight?" Jago pause and rubbed his chin a few times, thinking hard. Finally, he gestured her over and then quite deliberately, he stooped, picked up a length of broken glass from the ground and used it to tear a strip of fabric from the hem of her skirt. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she gasped, backing away.

"Bear with me" Jago said as he rapidly wrapped the fabric around the rear of the shard, forming a crude handle. He then spun it around his hand and handed it to her. "You wanna live? Then make a shiv. Glass ones aren't bad but they're brittle. See if you can find any bits of metal that might be useful; they'll last longer, even if they aren't as sharp. And I suggest that you team yourself up with a blackjack girl. You can cripple a giant by taking out its tendons and your friend can finish it with a blow to the head". He then turned away from the stunned goddess and faced the crowd once more. "I can't order you all to do anything; I don't have that right. But I REQUEST that you help us. Anyone who is willing to fight, I suggest that you find yourself some kind of improvised weapon and then make your way to the front lines, the Valkyries and Auxiliaries will help you from there". There was silence from the crowd.

"Are there really reinforcements coming?" someone called out.

"You'd better believe it. They should be here in the next two hours… with luck. Now, Lind-the Almighty One and I have to go as we have a rescue mission to plan. I leave you all to make your own decisions". He turned away and Lind followed him but not before she gave every goddess a stern look in the face, one eyebrow raised. Twenty seconds later, the Plaza was filled with the sound of tearing fabric as they began to arm themselves with whatever they could put together.

"So Jago…" Lind said slowly. "Do you really think a few thousand civvies with shivs and sock-clubs can really help to turn the tide?"

"Honestly? I doubt it" Jago said. "But I had to give them hope. They know that we're screwed but I find that being screwed _with a purpose_ is generally enough motivation for me".

"Well just how screwed are we?" Jago grinned and then pulled a face.

"THEY'RE GONNA RAPE US AND BREAK OUR ARMS!"

"OH MAN!" Lind said with a grin. "I DON'T WANT MY ARM'S BROKE!" The two chuckled for a second and then fell silent. It was then that Weth approached.

"My Lord's, I've done as you asked and gathered information on the location of the few remaining trapped units. I also took the liberty of putting together some volunteer groups who are willing to help them get back". Jago nodded.

"Good work. Anything else to report?" Weth paused then she nodded.

"Skuld was on the radio on Tanngrisnir when she got a message from Hell. Apparently, it was for you". She reached inside her tunic and pulled a small piece of crumpled paper. "I wrote it down" she said, handing it to him.

"It's form Mara?" Jago asked and Weth nodded.

"What's it say?" Lind asked, leaning close.

"It say's "Where are you, you bastard?".

8888

"Keep the pressure on the wound! I need another saline drip STAT!" Urd half turned to one of the medics who was helping to hold down the badly injured Valkyrie. "YOU! She needs another morphine shot NOW!" The medic nodded and turned, snatching up a syrinete and passing it to Urd who jammed it into the exposed thigh of her patient, putting her under in less than ten seconds flat. "Good" she said and nodded to a second medic who went to work with stitches, helping to seal the outer wound as Urd prepared a syringe of her own, filled with a luminous green fluid, tapping the bubbles free of the needle.

"Bloody Hell" Jago said, approaching the improvised field hospital and eyeing the needle. "I hope that's not for me".

"Hang on Jago" Urd said and quickly administered the shot to her patient. She sighed and nodded at her medics. "She'll be fine in an hour. Bring the next one in". She then turned to Jago, looking very tired and wiping her hands free of Valkyrie blood with a cloth that she tossed over her shoulder. "Sorry about that… we're doing the best we can but more keep coming". Jago shook his head.

"I saw that wound she had and I think that you probably saved that Valkyrie's life. She may never be able to walk unaided but-"

"She'll be combat ready by the time her morphine wears off" Urd said confidently. "I gave her some of my extra powerful healing potion. Strong stuff; makes your sedative patches look like plasters". Jago nodded respectfully. "So, was there something I can do for you? You're not hurt are you?"

"Me? Nah! I ain't got time to bleed. But I do have a job for you. I need you to accompany me on an op. Do you think your girls can cope without you for a little while?" Urd paused and looked around the field hospital as the medics tended to the injured as best as they were able… and carefully stacked the dead to one side.

"Probably not" she said with a sigh. "But considering the situation, this is probably important. So what's the job?"

"Medivac".

8888

"Here's the situation" Lind said as the remaining Valkyrie Captains and senior Lieutenants crouched around the map. "Almost all of our out-lying units have been overwhelmed, leaving us as just about the only strong point in Heaven. Now, the Paladin", she glanced at Jago, "has managed to galvanize the civvies and many of them are ready to fight for our cause. However, there are some, particularly those with young children, who can't fight at the moment". She then looked across directly at Skuld. "In short, we need to evacuate them… and that's where you come in Skuld. I'm ordering a full evacuation to Earth of all non-combat forces via the Tanngrisnir. Belldandy and Keiichi have been informed and are preparing to receive them on the island of Avalon. They'll be safe-safer there than if they remain here".

"Well that's all very well and good" Skuld said, "but I can't get the Tanngrisnir into the air at the moment! Those flak guns will blow me out of the sky in seconds! Not to mention the RPGs!" Lind nodded.

"I know that" she said. "And that's why I need you girls". She turned to her Captains and gave a grim smile. "I need you to drum up some volunteers for a… what did you call it Jago?"

"A SEAD mission" the big man said. "Suppression of Enemy Air Defence". Lind nodded.

"That's it; a SEAD mission. Basically, I need some of your fighters to head out of our compound and knock out as many of the enemy guns as possible. Do you think we can manage that?" There were nods from the Valkyries. "Good. However, this probably won't be enough and while I'm loath to ask this, I need a few more of them for a literal suicide mission… we need escorts for the Tanngrisnir to keep back the Praetorians and also to draw fire away from the plane. I would go myself but-"

"No Captain-sorry, my Lady" one of the other Captains said. "You and the Paladin are the most valuable assets we have. We would have been overwhelmed already if it weren't for you two. No, we will do what needs doing, even if we must die to achieve it". There was a chorus of here-heres from the other Captains, as Lind nodded her thanks.

"Thank you girls" she said simply.

"If I might ask something" a young Lieutenant asked, "but you said "almost" all outlying units have been whipped out. Does that mean that there are still some left?" Lind nodded and wiped a hand across the map, focusing in on a building a few miles away from their current position. Inside was a small cluster of white specks; a trapped force of allies.

"One unit appears to still be holding out behind the enemy lines. We don't have radio contact but it appears that they have sealed themselves inside a building and are holding it against attack. I need another group of volunteers to go and get them out. The problem is…" and she scrolled out, revealing a mass of dark blue shapes surrounding the building, "the Jötunns have an entire corps surrounding the area… almost a thousand fighters. I'm pretty sure we can get in but getting out is going to be interesting. Especially since there may be a an unknown number of injured there".

"Is this where I come in?" Urd asked.

"No, this is where I come in" Damascus said, appearing behind Jago. "I can cast a disguise spell and get us in there. Getting out could be tricky but I think I can stretch the spell to cover everybody if I need to". Lind nodded.

"Alright. Captains, gather the volunteers and get ready to move. Skuld, I need you to warm up the Tanngrisnir and get ready to fly". The others nodded before turning and leaving Lind, Damascus, Urd and Jago alone. "Now that we're alone" Lind said with a sigh, "I can tell you my other plan. Jago, I need to borrow Lamb". At the mention of her name, Lamb appeared.

"Yes your Ladyship?" she said.

"Don't start that!" Lind said sharply. "I'm still Lind to you". Lamb nodded shyly and smiled.

"You got it" she said. "So what do you need me to do?"

"I you to do a recon mission for me. I need to know what happened to my mother and whether she or any of her Praetorians survived. I know the chances are that they're dead but…"

"I understand" Lamb said and with a slight twitch, she detached herself from Jago. "I'll should be back soon Master" she said. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do". Jago paused and then he grinned.

"Pee standing up?"

"Ok, you can do that" she said and then, with a flourish, she spread he wings and rocketed skywards, causing a sonic boom as she shot away.

"Show off!" Damascus called after her.

"Heard that!" she called back. Damascus smiled and turned to face Lind.

"So, is there anything I need to know before I start this spell?" Lind shrugged.

"Not much. It's just that the team is trapped in the morgue". Damascus opened and closed her mouth a few times, apparently mimicking a guppy fish at feeding time as she tried to work out how to respond.

"Alright, I'll go" she said. "BUT!" And she raised a finger in accusation. "If this turns into a fucking zombie attack, I will BITE you!" Lind snorted.

"And I'll have Cool Mint nibble your tail". As if on cue, the blue eyed angel appeared, licking her lips as Damascus who went pale and dived for cover behind Urd.

"Ok, so if that's all sorted" Urd said, "then why did you need me here?"

"Now that's my job" Jago said. "I'm going to Hell on a rescue op and I need someone who can back me up and who knows the terrain…" Urd Looked horrified.

"Are you mad? I'm not-"

"They're in just as bad a situation as we are, if not worse" Jago said. "The plan is to bring the demons here and use them to consolidate our position here. The enemy of our enemy, you see? Plus, your mother has been captured and I'm guessing that that means that-"

"I'm not ruling Hell!" Urd squawked. "I'm a goddess, not a demon! It wouldn't-"

"You have to at least consider the option" Lind said. "I'm the bastard daughter of the most powerful being in Heaven and possibly the only Valkyrie to ever become the Almighty One. How do you think I feel?" Urd paused and nodded.

"Alright Lind, I'll consider it. But I will fight the decision with every fibre of my being if I must". Lind nodded.

"Understood. Now go. You too Jago". The pair nodded as Jago used Lamb's borrowed powers to summon a Gate. The Gate of the Netherworld.

"We'll be back soon" he said. "And I'll try not to get myself killed". Lind snorted.

"Not a chance Jago. You're too stubborn to die!"

8888

"This isn't Hell! It's the 'burbs!" Jago said as he and Urd stepped out of the Gate of the Netherworld and into a street of identical detached houses. But then he paused. "No, wait… ok yeah, that works". He turned to Urd who looked uncomfortable. "So where are we?" he asked.

"Residential district" Urd said. "North side. About three miles from the city centre". And then she ducked as a rocket whirred overhead and struck one of the houses, blowing it apart. Jago meanwhile drew up his rifle and prepared to fire but then stopped and raised the gun above his head in a gesture of peace.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" he called out as a person emerged from the doorway from one of the buildings.

"Jago? Urd? Where have you been?" Mara said, shouldering her stolen RPG and slotting a new rocket into the weapon.

"Sorry, we've been kinda busy up top. So what's been happening? And where'd you get the launcher?" Mara shrugged.

"You're not the only one who knows a trick or two Jago" she said, tapping the weapon with her hand. "Now though, we need to get you two to the central palace. We're in a bad way here. How are things going upstairs?"

"Well Lind is the Almighty One now" Urd said. "What about here? Who's taken my mother's place?" Mara gulped.

"That's the problem. It's currently in dispute. Half of them want you to be in charge and the others…"

"Well?" Jago asked.

"The others are demanding that it be Hagall. And… well…"

"Nuff said" said Urd, summoning her enormous hammer. "I don't want to rule Hell but ANYONE would be better than THAT lunatic! Now get me there fast!"

8888

"Make way! Make way for the chief!" The Jötunn barged through the ranks of the smaller giants, shoving them aside and swatting them on the heads to get them to move. Behind him came the chief and his entourage, composed of twenty or so giants as they shoved their way through to the morgue.

"Make way you dogs!" another growled, shoving aside another giant and clearing the path through to the ruined front entrance. The small party continued to shove and bellow until they had made it to the dissection chamber, right next to the cold store room.

"What's going on here?" a smaller giant demanded as they entered, glaring up at the team. "Why have you-"

"King Surtr has ordered that my chief try and break into the room where the enemy are hidden. We are assuming that they are in the cold store; is that correct?" The smaller giant nodded and gestured towards where his team was busy trying to force the lock on the door.

"Silly bitches locked the door from the inside and it's looking like we're gonna be here for hours if-"

"Leave" the chief demanded, startling the smaller giant.

"I'm sorry my Lord?" he said nervously.

"I said that I want you and your team to leave. I break into that room myself and I will personally ensure that every stinking goddess within shall die. But YOU and your team are no longer required. Leave". Reluctantly, the team of smaller giants departed, glancing nervously at the chief and his entourage as they filled out of the room. For good measure, one of the chief's guards booted the last giant in the back and growled.

"Close the door behind you!" he snarled and the smaller giant whimpered, pulling the door closed behind him. And then, with a sigh, Damascus let the glamour collapse and the Valkyries were revealed.

"Bloody Hell!" One of them swore, running her hands across her chin. "How can men live with a beard! It itched like crazy!"

"And loincloths!" agreed another. "I got breezes in place that breezes were never meant to go! I mean, I've gone commando before but still!"

"Try going to Scotland" Damascus said. "The men wear a kind of skirt there called a kilt but they never wear anything underneath. And that's one of the coldest, wettest places in the world!" The Valkyries shuddered at the thought, especially the two male Valkyries.

"Humans are weird" one muttered to himself but by now, Damascus had turned away and was facing the vast door to Heaven's morgue cold room and was running her hand across its surface, inspecting it. She whistled slowly through her teeth.

"Matter-shields, time-blocks, Aegis spells, deadlock seals, reflector spells… this thing has everything! Are you really that desperate to stop people from getting in?" she asked.

"It's not to stop people getting in; it's to stop things getting out" one of the Valkyries said, making Damascus pale.

"Getting out?" she asked nervously.

"Well yeah" the Valkyrie said, flicking her platinum-blond hair. "Haven't you ever fought a goddess-zombie? They're like regular zombies but WAY more vicious AND they have full access to an unlimited supply of magic. We had an outbreak a few centauries back and it nearly overwhelmed us. If it hadn't been for Lind, we would have been toast!" She paused considered something for a second. "But I have to admit, I don't quite know how we're going to get in either. Any ideas Nightmare?" Damascus frowned.

"Damascus IF you don't mind" she said, still inspecting the door critically and then leaned back. "Well we can't use the lock. From the looks of things, the stupid Jötunns broke it when they tried to get in. But…" and she took another step back and grinned, "whoever designed this thing wasn't very bright". She jerked a thumb at the side of the vault door and grinned. "Half-pin hinges. The door should just lift free if we have a have a decent pivot and fulcrum". And it was simple. Two Valkyries managed to jam the blade of a poleaxe under the edge of the door and with a grunt, they lifted the door and let it fall to the ground with an almighty crash. And from inside, a voice emerged.

"You're late" Heimdall said, his golden eyes sparkling as he brushed the frost from his beard. "What took you?" Damascus smiled.

"Good to see you too Heimdall" she said. "We would have got here sooner but we were… preoccupied".

"Lind's promotion?" Damascus looked surprised but then she remembered; Heimdall had the all-seeing eyes. Of course he could see what was going on outside. It was then that the others started to emerge from inside the vault.

"Damascus! You're still alive!" The devil blushed as Bob emerged, dressed in a form fitting green robe and hugged her. She smiled and nodded to him, knowing full well that at least for the moment, he couldn't understand her. But then Chrono emerged, pulling chunks of ice from her hair.

"She says: of course I'm alive you silly bugger. Why wouldn't I be?" Bob paused and nodded.

"Good point".

"It's cold in there" Saga said and her sister nodded.

"But it's too hot out here!" Eir said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "At least we're out now though". She paused and looked at the Valkyries who were busying themselves throughout the dissection room, preparing to move out once more.

"Is this all of you who made it?" Damascus asked. Chrono nodded.

"Bob and I were with an Auxiliary unit when we were attacked by Praetorians… we never stood a chance. We found the twins and we were trying to make it to Valmeyar's strongpoint when we ran into Heimdall who was heading back from the medical bay and he advised that we come here instead. Good thing too. I heard that Valmeyar was overrun". Damascus nodded.

"You're right" she said. "Lamb's doing a recon mission but it's not likely that she's going to find anything". The others nodded but were then interrupted by one of the Valkyries, a male with frizzy ginger hair but skin like burnt ebony… a very strange combination.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this little reunion" he said. "But hadn't we better get moving? It won't be long until more Jötunns show up and-"

"We may have a problem" Heimdall said and before anyone could question him, he had disappeared back inside the cold room, only to re-emerge from the room holding something. It was Kayrune. "I found her in the medical bay. She appears to have fully recovered from the effects of the de-winging blade but they appear to have drugged her. And as you know, we can't exactly carry her out of here, not even if we were to use the camouflage spell on her".

"Why not?" the Valkyrie asked.

"Because the Jötunns EAT their dead" Heimdall said simply. "We'll stick out like a sore thumb. Why do you think there are so few bodies lying around?"

"Then what do we do?" another Valkyrie demanded. "We can't fight our way out and if we can't sneak-"

"We thunder-run" Damascus said simply.

"Thunder-run? What's that?" The devil ignored Valkyrie and turned to face Chrono.

"Chrono, ask Bob if he can drive a CRARRV". She did.

"I think so" Bob said. "But… why? What are you thinking?" Damascus grinned and flashed her fangs. Chrono gulped.

"She said you don't need to worry. Just let her "work her magic". Which she did. The most ambitious Morphing Matter spell since the C-130. There was silence as she finished the thing and then grinned around the room.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Well… what is it?"

"The way my Master put it was… sixty-three tons of rolling thunder".

8888

Hell appeared to have been split equally into two factions. A vote had been taken and the result was simple; half of demons, under the command of Mara, had voted for Urd as their new commander and Hild's legitimate successor. The other half however, had voted for Hagall who, as the second most powerful demon in Hell, wielded enormous influence. It was a stalemate of the worst kind. And at the worst possible moment.

"I will never accept a goddess as our leader!" Halval, the darkness demon said. "It's unnatural". Behind her, Hagall's supporters roared their support.

"But Hagall has no right to rule!" Mara said, standing toe to toe with the other demon. "Urd is the only legitimate successor to Hild and as such, she should take over as ruler!" Behind HER, Urd's supporters bellowed their own support, even as a rocket whizzed overhead only to be punched out of the air by Thrymr, the demon with the indestructible fist.

"Can we hurry things along please?" she said irritably. "I'm not sure how long I can keep this up for". But the argument refused to resolve itself. Sighing, Jago cracked open a tin of spam, using his pocket knife to slice the meat into chunks.

"You're eating at a time like this?" Hagall asked with distaste as she sat beside him on a pile of rubble, her arms folded and legs crossed.

"I haven't eaten anything for nearly three days, short of a few slugs of strong liquor, so you'll have to excuse me if I eat during my down time".

"Fine… but _spam_?" Hagall said.

"Well what would you suggest?" Jago asked, chewing a slice.

"Just ignore her" Urd said with a sigh. "She's so high brow that I'm surprised she has room for hair on that head of hers". Hagall glared at her but Urd ignored the demon, instead turning to watch the unfolding discussion.

"So let me see if I have this straight" Jago said. "NEITHER of you want to rule Hell? And that's what's causing all these problems?" The women nodded.

"I'm loyal to Hild" Hagall said. "Personally, I support Urd as our leader, no matter how distasteful that may be. However, half of our demon won't support her because she's half goddess and so they don't think she can be trusted".

"And while I don't want to rule Hell, I would rather do it than leave the job to Hagall… no offence" Urd said, but Hagall simply shrugged. "But it is as she said; I don't have enough support to take control myself. Hagall on the other hand is the most powerful demon left but half of them don't trust her either, not after that coup she staged against Hild".

"I thought that was all staged so that Hild could stay in power for another term?" Jago asked, finishing the spam and tossing away the tin.

"It was" Hagall said. "But THEY don't know that. It had to be kept a secret see or it would have caused all kinds of problems for us". Jago nodded sagely and then chuckled as some of demons started to come to blows.

"Well this is possibly the second most epic cat-fight I have ever seen" he said, watching as Mara bowled Halval over, only to be knocked away Thrymr. The other two simply face-palmed. "Can't we just flip a coin?" he asked. "Head's is Urd, tails is Hagall?"

"No good" Urd said, not bothering to take her hand away from her face.

"Too easy for somebody to rig it" Hagall said, also still face-palming. Jago sighed again and began routeing in his bag for another tin of spam.

"There's too much suspicion here, that's the problem" he said, slowly chewing the meat. "It's just like Sparta all over again".

"What are you talking about Paladin?" Hagall asked, grimacing at the smell of the processed meat.

"Hmm? Oh Sparta?" Jago said. "Well everyone knows that they were phenomenal fighters. But few people realise that they were probably the most paranoid state there has ever been. Nazi Germany included. Heck, they were so worried about internal treachery that they always had TWO kings, of equal power and influence, who co-ruled the city and were there to keep an eye on each oth-". He stopped when he realised that the demon and the goddess were looking intently at each other. And then he realised what he had just said. "Oh".

"It COULD work" Hagall said slowly.

"So long as it's only temporary. Just until we get my mother back on the throne". Hagall nodded and together, the pair turned and strode towards the mass of scrapping demons.

"HEY!" they both shouted, almost deafening everyone present. The fighting stopped instantly and all eyes turned to the pair.

"Urd and I have agreed…" Hagall started.

"… to share power as a ruling pair until such time as we are able to restore my mother to the throne" Urd finished.

"This is a contract of equal power sharing. Both us will have equal power, equal strength…"

"… and equal responsibility". Urd paused and cleared her throat. "If there are any objections, I suggest that you speak up now". There was some muttering from the demon crowd but it was quickly silenced by a soft rasping noise. One that was not so much threatening as the hint of a threat. And possibly dismemberment. It was Jago, slowly running his sharpening blade along the edge of his khukuri, honing the big knife to a razor's edge and humming to himself. He did this a few times and then looked up, apparently astonished by the sudden lack of noise.

"I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" he asked innocently, replacing the sharpening blade in its sheath. "So, as they were saying; are there any objections?" Casually, he spun his heavy knife around his wrist a few times, smiling like a mad man. "No? Good". He nicked his wrist and turned to the two new Daimankaichōs. "Well ladies, shall we go?" Hagall looked confused.

"Go? Go where?" she asked.

"Where do you think? You can't hold this world on your own and I know some other girls in exactly the same situation". This caused some angry muttering but he silenced with a quick glare at the crowd, allowing his eyes to flash red for just the briefest of moments. "Trust me; they won't like it any better than you will but at the moment, it's the best chance for survival. The enemy of mine enemy and all that…"

8888

"Who is this chief?" the Jötunn commander demanded of the smaller giant, hefting the smaller giant up to head height by its throat.

"I don't know sir!" it gasped, pawing at the bigger Jötunns arm with his hands. "All I know is that he turned up with an honour guard of about twenty warriors and apparent orders that he and his men were to personally break into the cold room! We-"

"You didn't think to CHECK!" the bigger giant roared, shaking his smaller companion like a terrier with a rat. "The Paladin has the Nightmare on side! She could have been using a camouflage spell to sneak past you!" But then he stopped, suddenly realising that he had broken the neck of the smaller giant. He tossed the body aside and turned to growl at the Jötunns still surrounding the morgue. "Get in there, find the Nightmare and kill her! I want her head!" With an affirmative roar, the Jötunns stormed forward, their bone knives glittering in the light of the sun, while the few with guns stood back and egged them on. But as they surged forward, their roar was drowned out by a much louder roar… that of a massive twelve-hundred horse power, twenty-six litre Perkins diesel engine. And the Jötunn roar turned to a scream as Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle burst through the front of the building, crushing all those in its way.

"CHARGE!" Bob shouted from the driver's seat as the Valkyries on top clung on as Damascus threw up a shield around them to protect the tank's riders from incoming fire. The tank itself however was still exposed and the Jötunn commander grinned.

"FIRE!" he shouted to a team of rocket troops, who were still stunned by the sudden appearance of the tank but they quickly recovered and fired off their RPGs, to a great cheer from their companions, as the it disappeared in a cloud of smoke… only for it to turn to shouts of panic as the tank rumbled forward, its Dorchester armour easily shrugging off the RPG-7s.

"BOAH-YAH!" Bob shouted. "WE ARE BULLETPROOF!" he roared as the tank slewed hard left and then rumbled forward, crushing the Jötunns beneath its tracks.

"Wait! We can't go that way!" Chrono shouted down to Bob as the tank continued to roar forward. "The road's blocked!" But Bob just grinned.

"Then we'll go through the buildings!" he shouted back, aiming the tank for house at the end of the street and gunning the engine.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" a Valkyrie shouted as the building loomed large in front of them. "WE CAN'T GO THROUGH THAT!"

"Yes we can!" Bob called back. "And yes, thanks for noticing!" Then with a final whoop, he ducked his head as the CRARRV struck the front of the house, punching straight through and out of the other side.

"Well that was bracing" Chrono said curtly.

"How do you think I feel?" Damascus asked, grunting with the effort of maintaining the shield for so long. "Now tell Bob to go right. We need to get back to the Plaza".

8888

Deep within the CRARRV's armoured crew compartment, Heimdall stooped over Kayrune's form, gently sponging her head with her head with water from the bivvie. But he wasn't focused on the job. Instead, he was looking ahead with his all-seeing eyes, to see what part the Valkyrie would play in the upcoming drama.

"I see" he muttered to himself. "So that is her fate. It's just as well I saved her when I did. But… I have to feel sorry for Jeiko. That is not the fate I would have wished on him. Or that one on Jago. Or Lind. Well… I guess that even I can't change fate". And beneath him, Kayrune whispered softly in her fuelled delirium. Four words.

"Deaderuss… Hacked… Gate… Lamb…"

8888

"It's good that you made it Jeiko" Lind said sombrely.

"I'm glad I could make it, Lady Almighty One" he said, bowing his head. "I just wish I could have brought more warriors with me". Behind him, were a hundred Earth spirits, who bowed their heads respectfully at Lind as they stepped through the Gate. Lind nodded back at them but frowned at Jeiko.

"It's still Lind to you. I have no intention of this being a permanent position; I'm just holding it long enough for Lord Try… my father to be restored to power. But as to your warriors, any reinforcements Lord Buda can afford to lend us are appreciated".

"Thank you Lind" Jeiko said. "So… what's the plan? Where do you need us?" Lind paused, unsure how to answer. But then another voice sounded behind the crowd of Earth spirits, making them all turn.

"Put your forces on the roofs on either side the four main streets. I'm trusting you brought some kind of ranged weapons?" Jago grinned as he stepped back through the Gate of the Netherworld and doffed his hat to them. "It's good to see you Jeiko! And I see you brought friends!" Jeiko nodded to Jago and smiled.

"Good to see you too Jago. Now you said you wanted us on the roofs?"

"Yep. If you can help to pick off their rocketeers and riflemen before they get to our main ranks, we might stand a chance. Once that's done, you can pour shot into the enemy flanks. Crossfire see? That should help to thin them out a little and demoralise the survivors… plus maybe you can keep the bloody Praetorians out of our hair?" Jeiko nodded and Lind sidled up to him.

"You can see why I put him in charge of defending this place" she muttered out of the corner of her mouth before turning to face Jago directly. "So how did it go? Have you sorted out the power problems in Hell?" Jago paused for a second and then his eyes went wide.

"OH BUGGER!" He turned rapidly and tapped the Gate with his fingers, causing it to shudder slightly and a few of the runes on its surface to change. And then, coming through in a vast wave, came the demons.

"What is this?" Lind demanded, suddenly going red in the face. "What have you done Jago?"

"Have you ever heard the term "the enemy of mine enemy is my friend" Lind? Well in this case, I think we need all the help we can get. I don't have enough fighters to hold Heaven alone and Hell didn't either. So…"

"You brought them HERE?" Lind said. "But-"

"Time's up" Jago said, catching her off guard.

"What?" And then the roar began. The sound of a million hungry Jötunns, all coming in at once.

"Looks like we got here just in time" Urd said, stepping forward. "I'm sorry Lind but in this case, I'm with Jago on this. I don't want to do this either but the demons could be just what we need to turn the tide". Lind paused and then nodded but she still looked furious.

"Alright… but I'm still not happy about this".

"Then you'll be doubly unhappy to learn that Urd isn't in charge" Hagall said. "She and I are sharing power until Hild is restored to power. But believe me when I say, I'm even less happy!"

"Then it's a good compromise" Jago said. "Nobody is happy!" He paused and then tapped the Gate once more. "Now let's get down to business! Now you demons, I want you to split into five groups. One group goes up each of the four streets, with one group in reserve. We need to hold this square at all cost. Now is that clear?" The demons muttered and shuffled their feet, glancing at Urd and Hagall. The pair nodded. Without another word, the demons split into their groups and dispersed across the Plaza, followed closely by the Earth spirits. Lind gave Jago another evil look and then turned away, storming off to reassure her Captains that the demons were NOT simply here to attack them from behind.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Jago?" Jeiko asked as the two walked together towards one of the main roads. "Using demons I mean?"

"Probably not" Jago said. "But I can't think of anything better to do. We need every fighter we can get and right now, if that means demons, I'll take every damn demon in creation". Jeiko nodded but then paused.

"What about the Netherworld Gate? What if the enemy try to follow the demons through and end up behind our ranks?"

"Oh I thought of that!" Jago said with a grin and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "I reprogrammed the Gate so that anyone who tries to pass through them gets dumped onto the event-horizon of a super massive black hole. They can try to come through but I wouldn't recommend it". But then his grin faded. "But can I tell you the truth? We're totally fucked. Even if we can hold through the first wave, we're outnumbered nearly a hundred to one. We won't last two rounds, especially if the Praetorians join in". But then he grinned and looked skywards. "Ah well… I suppose it could be worse".

"How could it be worse?" Jeiko asked doubtfully. "You said so yourself; we're outnumbered and outgunned. So how exactly could it be worse?" And then he felt the first specks of rain on his shoulders.

"I was gonna say that at least it wasn't raining" Jago admitted. "But I think that's a bit daft now. I didn't even know it could rain in Heaven…" And then, through the rain, there came a sound. The distinctive roar of a vast Perkins diesel engine. "Ah. Now that's more promising…"

**Authors Note: Less epic than I hoped but I got some good stuff planned for the next one. Especially when I'm thinking of a chapter title along the lines of "Street-Fighter and Titanium Rain". And for those who are interested, yes Sparta really did have two kings at all times. It was one of those funny quirks that stuck I think. Looks like "300" got it a bit wrong… still, it should make for some interesting problems later on. Also, to my regular readers, I've had to start marking the ends of paragraphs with "8888" as I can't get the single line breaks to work and I've just discovered that it's REALLY hard for anyone but me to tell when the scene is changing. Sorry.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 **

**Hold the Line**

A ragged cheer went up as the ranks parted and the CRARRV came rumbling through, slewing to a halt just in front of the field hospital. Damascus collapsed the shield that had protected the riders from attack and the Valkyries jumped down gratefully as Lind and Jago approached.

"You still alive Bob?" Jago called out as his brother shut down the tank's engine.

"Just about" his brother said. "We were getting worried though. We didn't know how much longer we could hold out".

"What is that thing?" Lind asked cautiously eyeing the CRARRV.

"It's a recovery tank" Jago said. "If a tank breaks down or is knocked out, it's the job of this thing to go and rescue it. Now my question is where did it come from?"

"That was me" said Damascus. "There was no way we were going to get it out of there with the six extra people we'd picked up, so I thought I'd better come up with some way of getting us out. And what better way than something that's part tank and part bulldozer?" Jago nodded appreciatively but then paused, spotting how drooping the devil's wings were and how deeply lined her face was.

"You look absolutely shattered" he said.

"Then I look like I feel. The one problem with this thing is there isn't enough room inside for the extra passengers and so I had to protect them from rockets by putting a shield up around them while the rode on the roof… and they're none too happy about it either".

"Well, you'd better have one of these" he said, tossing a Dr Pepper to her. She caught it and not bothering to open it, she bit into the can with her fangs, sucking the caffeine rich contents out. Lind meanwhile was busy thinking.

"Hang on" she said as Chrono helped Bob down from the front of the tank. "I've got Eir, Saga, Chrono and Bob… who were the other two people who were rescued?"

"That would be us" Heimdall said, jumping down from the top of the tank, clutching a cloth wrapped bundle to his chest. Lind instantly dropped to her knees.

"Master! It's-"

"Oh hush Lind and get up! As the Almighty One, you outrank me!"

"Lind's the Almighty One!?" Saga asked, looking surprised.

"Well… yes" Lind said awkwardly, getting to her feet again. "But don't kneel. It irritates me". Chrono hastily scrabbled back to her feet before Lind could start scolding her.

"Does this mean that technically speaking, my sister-in-law is God?" Bob whispered to Jago.

"Future sister-in-law" Jago said. "But yes".

"But now we have the pleasantries out of the way," Heimdall said, "we need to get planning. There are over a million Jötunns here already, with another ten million on their way. The way things are now, we won't survive the first wave of attacks".

"You have a plan then?" Jago asked. "I have to admit that this is a lot more complex to organise than Endwar".

"Yes I have a plan, which should hopefully allow us to hold out for long enough and in great enough numbers to drive them back. Especially if we can get some information out of her…" And slowly, he moved aside the piece of cloth to reveal a face. It was Kayrune.

8888

"How long until the drug wears off?" Lind asked as they made their way back from the field hospital.

"No more than an hour" Urd said. "I just hope that Heimdall is right about the info she can provide us".

"Don't doubt my Master" Lind said testily as they approached him, Jeiko and Jago, all locked in discussion over their revised battle plans. "There's a reason that he's as old as he is. He's EXTREMELY good at what he does".

"Thank you Lind" Heimdall said, rubbing his chin, not looking up.

"So, have you come up with a plan?" Urd asked hopefully.

"Well not as such…" Jeiko said.

"It turns out we're a lot more screwed than I thought we were" Jago admitted. "Check it out". He pointed to the map and indicated the ring of blue that was enclosing the white patch that marked their plaza.

"We're surrounded?" Urd suggested.

"Yes… but look closely. The lines are closing in on us. And there's a lot more of them coming than I originally thought".

"What are you saying?" Lind asked.

"I'm saying that with our current defence lines, we'll be overwhelmed by the first wave". Silence.

"So what do you think we should do?" Urd asked. "I'm not a tactical genius but-"

"We need to create a set of barricades across the main roads" Jeiko said. "If we block off three of them, we can bottleneck them into coming down just one street, eliminating their numbers advantage".

"We tried that" Lind said. "There's not enough stuff lying around to create barricades. We-"

"That's where you're wrong" said Heimdall. "We have more than enough to block the streets. It's just a case of getting it into place".

"I'm sorry, I don't understand" Lind said. "I'm a skirmisher remember. So where exactly is this stuff?" Heimdall didn't answer, just stood and pointed. Lind looked. "What?" she said. And then she realised it. And her face turned to horror. "No way! We can't destroy something like that!"

"Well I don't see any other way" Heimdall said. For what he was pointing at was a tower. In fact three towers; one per street.

"But we can't destroy those!" Urd said. "They're-"

"A hundred-thousand tons of marble which if we can get them to fall the right way, should be able to block each street completely" Jago said. "Heimdall's right; we need to knock down the towers".

"Do you have any idea how long those took to build?" Lind said desperately. "They-"

"Can be rebuilt" Jeiko said. "I agree with the other two. Those towers need to come down". Lind growled softly to herself but then she finally nodded.

"Alright. If you think that knocking them down would give us an advantage, then by all means, do so".

"I just wish it was that simple" Heimdall said. "There is however, one small problem".

"And what's that?" Lind asked. "I thought you said it was the best option".

"It is" her former Master agreed, "but there's a problem. By the time that the towers fall, the Jötunns will already be here".

8888

The Tanngrisnir touched down hard, bouncing on its landing gear as it hit the deck. Skuld sighed as she pulled off her helmet and glanced across at Noble Scarlet as she did the same. They were both exhausted. They had made a total of fifteen flights to and from the Earth, carrying all of the non-combatants they could, delivering them to safe keeping of Keiichi and Belldandy on the island of Avalon. They would have transported them back to the temple but Belldandy had still been too weak to travel and besides, it was probably safer on that little island than it was at a known goddess hotspot. And very quietly, Skuld started to cry, placing her head on the dashboard of the big aircraft. They had seen so much destruction and death today… too much, especially for ones so young. Dozens of Valkyries had died protecting them on their missions, using themselves as living shields to absorb incoming fire. So many in fact that the entire underside of the aircraft was flecked red with blood, a gory reminder of the sacrifice it had taken to keep those who could not fight safe, given by those who job it was to fight. And Skuld was not sure that she could keep it up. She had wanted to become a Valkyrie but now… No. She had a mission to complete. Solemnly, she stood and recalled her angel before descending the stairs to the lower levels of the plane. There was blood here too. At some point, a gap had opened up in the defenders around the Tanngrisnir and one of the enemy Zu-23s had punched a series of fist sized holes through the hull of the plane, killing a few of those inside. But for now, she ignored it, stepping out into the rain.

"Skuld!" she turned to see Eir hurrying over to her. "You alright?" Skuld nodded despondently.

"I'm fine. It's good to see you're still alive". She took a deep breath a composed herself. "Right; I'm guessing that you've been assigned to help me load up. We need to get the next lot loaded, rotate in the next batch of escorts and-"

"Jago needs to see you. They're planning something and they need you to help with it". But then Eir cocked her head, frowning. "Are you sure you're ok? You look beat". Skuld was about to nod but then she stopped. And sobbing she threw her arms around the older goddess.

"I can't do it… I'm not strong enough! I thought I wanted to be a Valkyrie but I can't fight and-and I've seen so many people die today! All to try and keep me alive! I don't know if I can keep doing this!" Eir was stunned by the sudden outburst but quickly recovered and hugged the younger goddess.

"You have survivor's guilt Skuld… and so do I. I think we all do. Why was I chosen to live when others must die? There are going to be many others who feel the same way today. But now we have to be strong. You're performing possibly the most important job here; saving those who cannot save themselves. And you have to stay strong, because now Lind and Jago need you. And from what I understand, your help could be crucial to turning the tide of this war. So, will you dry your eyes for me, Skuld Anzus-daughter and help us now?" Skuld paused and she released Eir, drying her eyes on her sleeve.

"Yes… sorry… that was selfish of me". She gave a weak smile and nodded up at Eir and then paused. "Since when have you been so wise? You can't be that much older than me". Eir winked.

"Can you keep a secret? We may look only about fifteen or sixteen but in actual fact, we're more than twice your age Skuld. You're what… a thousand and three?"

"Four".

"Right, a thousand and four. Well Saga and I are two-thousand, five-hundred and eleven". Skuld looked astonished.

"You're really…?"

"Yep. But now, you can stop worrying about our age. Like I said, Jago's needs you". Skuld nodded and straightened herself.

"Ok. I'm on my way". She set off but then paused and turned back to Eir. "Actually, there's something I could do with someone doing; I need someone to wash the blood out the plane. I'm not sure how many more kids there are but I don't think it would be a good idea to carry them in a plane full of blood". Then she turned away, leaving Eir to contemplate the awful job that she would now be facing.

8888

"You wanted to see me Jago?" Skuld said tiredly as she approached the little group. To her surprise, Bob was there, as were Chrono, Saga and Heimdall. But it was Jago who had summoned her and so it was to him she turned to first.

"Yeah, it's good we caught you Skuld" Jago said. "We need you unique skills for a special task". He paused and glanced across at Lind. "I think I'll let her explain though". Lind nodded, taking over command.

"Skuld, we've just been informed of a new situation. The Jötunns are moving on our position in ever increasing numbers; far greater and much faster than we anticipated. We need you-"

"Forget it!" Skuld said. "You may be the Almighty One Lind and if you don't mind me saying, you scare me shitless but I'm not going on some suicidal bombing mission to try and hold the line. I'm Medivac only. Too many people have died trying to keep my sorry arse alive today as it is".

"I hadn't finished" Lind said testily. "And I wouldn't ask that of you anyway. Wherever possible, I like to give my fighters a better than even chance of coming back and while that might not be the case here, I wouldn't ask you to do something that foolish. No, what we need you to do and I can't believe I'm saying this… but we need that robot of yours". This caught Skuld by surprise and she cocked her head, wrinkling her brow.

"You need Banpei? What for?" And so they explained it to her. The plan to blow up the towers. "Alright, that makes sense… but what do you need Banpei for? You're not thinking of turning him into some kind of suicide bomb are you?"

"Good lord no" Jago said. "No, we've got a couple of idiots to blow those things up-"

"That's me!" Saga said cheerfully, opening up her new purple robes of a Second Class wish granter and revealing the dynamite she had hidden there.

"Where…" Skuld started to say but then shook her head. "Never mind. So, what exactly do you need me to do with Banpei?"

"To put it simply, we need line-breakers" Jago said. "We need something to drive back the Jötunns for just long enough to blow the towers. I must warn you; who or whatever we send out there will probably end up being destroyed but it has to be done if we're to hold the line here". Skuld looked angry.

"Are you really expecting me to send Banpei out there?! He'll be-"

"NOW LISTEN!" Jago suddenly snapped, his rage burning high. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! WE ARE IN DEEP SHIT HERE AND NONE OF US ARE DOING THINGS WE WANT TO DO!" He paused and took a breath, as Skuld stared up at him, wide eyed and scared before he continued in a more reasonable tone. "You think I don't know how you feel Skuld? This is my first real battle too. And I've got to be responsible for keeping as many of you alive as possible. You really think I want this job? What about Lind? She's the Almighty One. And Urd? She and Hagall are sharing the Daimankaichō title". Skuld's eyes went even wider at this but Jago hadn't finished. "I know you're scared Skuld. Heck, you'd be a bloody fool if you weren't but we need you to do this. If you can upgrade Banpei to Dreadnaught Class, we might have a chance of holding the line here. So, can you do that for me?" Skuld was silent for a second and then, slowly, she nodded.

"Alright… but I'm going to need parts. And possibly an energy drink".

"I'll have Damascus over to help you soon". Skuld nodded and then she paused again.

"Hang on, Banpei can only hold one road… what about the others?"

"Well I've got one of them covered" Bob said. "I can clear the one road if you let me take the CRARRV out again".

"And I'll take the third road" Jeiko said. "I'm itching to get my teeth into this lot". But Heimdall stepped forward, grasping his former apprentice by the shoulder.

"Not this time my friend. You need to command your Earth spirits and protect those below. No, I will go". Both Lind and Jeiko started to shout, voicing their complaints but their former Master silenced them with a raised hand. "I'm disposable; you two aren't. Lind, you have to command the forces of Heaven here. Jago may be good but as the Almighty One, it is your job to be their leader. And Jeiko? You may not have been as powerful as Lind and you still aren't but you are still far braver than you have reason to be. Before this day is over, they will need your courage. Only you can bring Hammer-Down to this world". He paused and with a sigh he clasped them both by the shoulders. "I am truly proud of you both but as your Master, I must give you one final order; wish me off with a smile. I have looked into the future and I will not last beyond today. So… Jeiko, I have a task for you. I am assigning you as the Guardian of the Bifrost Gate. I hope that you do a better job of protecting her than I did. Now, wish me luck. I'm going to need it". He then turned away and bowed to Jago. "Take care of my apprentices Paladin. They…. How would you put it? Yes; they still don't know shit". Jago nodded and held out his hand which Heimdall shook and then with a flourish, the great Guardian spun one hand, summoning his broadsword and slung the great weapon across his shoulder. He then turned away, heading towards the widest of the streets that the Jötunns were approaching from.

"Heimdall…" Lind called out but then stopped. "St George". Heimdall paused and turned to look back over his shoulder. She had used his name. His real name. "I thank you my Lord. And Master" Lind said, bowing her head and thumping her shoulder with her fist. Heimdall gave a barely perceptible nod and turned away once more. It was the last time they would see him alive.

8888

Skuld sighed as she adjusted the last few screws on her Banpei dreadnaught, checking the last few systems.

"Alright… mini-gun?" she asked.

"Check!" said Noble Scarlet, twisting the barrel of the heavy Vulcan cannon to check the action.

"Rockets?"

"Check!"

"Flame-thrower?"

"Check!"

"Spinning circular-saw weapon thing?"

"Check!"

"Ultra-max power stereo?"

"Check!"

"Alright, let's power this beast up!" With a final snap of a switch, the mecha powered on, firing up the micro fusion reactor buried deep within its chest. The machine stood, towering twenty foot tall; as big as the largest frost giants. And then the speakers appeared from either side of its head and possibly the best music choice for the occasion started to blare.

8888

Bob tugged on his borrowed helmet, now well aware how hard being the driver of an armoured vehicle could be on the head. But as he was swinging himself up and onto the tank, he felt a presence behind him and turned to see Chrono, resplendent in her full Valkyrie's uniform and clutching her poleaxe in her hand.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Well somebody's got to clear those Jötunns off that road and that someone might as well be me. I mean, we have a heavily armoured vehicle so we might as well put it to good use and I'm the only one who can drive this thing". Chrono nodded and then leapt aboard, landing easily on the armoured deck of the CRARRV.

"Well in that case, I'm coming with you" she said.

"No Chrono, it's too dangerous for you to come along. I-" But the young Valkyrie silenced him with a kiss, making him blush red with embarrassment.

"Shut up" she said. "I may be a clumsy fool but someone has to keep you alive". But then she blushed as another Valkyrie, a first year Recruit like her, gave a wolf-whistle. "And you can shut up and all!" she shouted, making the Valkyrie laugh.

"Well if you two are going, we're coming too!" said Eir as she and her sister landed nimbly on the rear of the tank.

"Oh no, now I'm drawing the line!" Bob said. "Chrono yes but you two as well? No chance!"

"You have to" Saga said. "You're brother said you're to get us to the towers so we can start laying the dynamite. Did you really expect us to walk?"

"Besides, we got to make sure you two don't start doing anything immoral!" Eir gave a nasty wink, making both Bob and Chrono blush furiously. But then they shook themselves and Bob dropped into the driver's seat as Chrono spun her poleaxe in anticipation, spotting the first few Jötunns who were beginning to appear at the far end of the street.

"RIGHT THEN!" she said, her voice full of excitement. "BOB! DRIVE ME CLOSER! I WANT TO HIT THEM WITH MY AXE!" And it was just then that the music began to blare. They all turned to see the new Banpei dreadnaught stagger slowly to its feet. It was playing a Black Sabbath tune.

"Of course! It would be that one!" Bob said and with a laugh, he stamped his foot down on the throttle, sending the sixty-three ton recover tank hurtling forward.

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"HE LIVES!" cried Skuld as the Banpei dreadnaught lumbered to its feet. And she smiled as the great speakers started to blare their tune.

_"I AM IRON MAN!"_

"_Has he lost his mind?"_

_"Can he see or is he blind?"_

_"Can he walk at all?"_

_"Or if he moves, will he fall?"_

And with that, the giant robot took its first steps, stomping towards the packed ranks of goddesses and demons who parted to the let the giant machine through.

_"Is he live or dead?"_

_"Has he thoughts within his head?"_

_"We'll just pass him there,"_

_"Why should we even care?"_

"I have to admit" Lind said as she watched the bulbous red back of the mecha march off to face the oncoming hordes of the Jötunns, "when it comes to appropriate music, she does have good taste".

"I agree" Jago said. "But now, we have a job of our own". He raised both hands to his mouth and then called out to the crowd. "ALRIGHT! ALL FORCES TO THE NORTH ROAD! AT THE DOUBLE!" Because now, with three sides secured, it was time to show those who threatened the peace of the worlds what they were made of. For now it was time for the final showdown.

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"Are we being led into battle by a man with "CLIT" written on his shirt in big letters?" one of the Niflguard asked, carefully balancing her spear in her hands.

"It would seem so" a Heavenly Auxiliary said. "Apparently it's supposed to be an anagram for something in the human military".

"Got it in one" Jago said, making the pair turn suddenly. "Now if you don't mind…" he said and slowly, the crowd parted, allowing him to take his place in the front rank, taking his position beside Lind, Urd and Hagall. Jeiko was on the roof of one of the nearby buildings, charging his cannon arm in preparation for the attack. Skuld was in amongst a unit of Specials, the name that had been given to the civilian volunteers, gripping her hammer tightly. Vayrag was there, leading a cluster of her surviving Valkyries.

"Well it looks like it's time" Lind said to him, glancing behind them at the crowd of Jötunns that was sweeping down the street towards them. It was a horde innumerable; thousands upon thousands of them, most ranging between six and ten feet in height, with the occasional cluster of fifteen foot elites and the solitary twenty footers, like pelicans amongst ducks. And as she turned back, she saw fear in the faces of those before her. "They look nervous" she muttered.

"They are" Jago said. "And what's worse, they can probably read my aura and they all know how damn scared I am…" He paused and then glanced across at Lind. "And so, there's something I want you to do. I've done the motivational speeches today and if I do any more, they won't be so effective, so Lind I want YOU to do one". Lind looked horrified.

"ME?" she hissed. "But I-"

"You're the Almighty One. It doesn't need to be much. Just give them something good. A proper send off, because they're about to follow you into the Gates of Hell".

"I heard that!" hissed Hagall.

"I get it…" Lind said. "But-"

"If you can't think of anything, just do what I do; make it up as you go along". And Lind nodded, taking a step forward.

"The Paladin wants me to do some kind of rousing speech. Something that can lift our spirits and give us hope in battle. Well, I'm afraid I can't do that". There was muttering amongst the crowd as Lind licked her lips nervously. She wasn't sure what else to say. But then she realised it. Just what to say. "However, I do have something to say to you all. I may be the Almighty One now but I want to say a prayer. I only ask that you bow your heads for a minute and pray to whatever being there is out there who may control the fates of us all… deities, demons and spirits and pray… let us pray for hope". And without another word, she knelt, her head bowed. There was more muttering and whispering from the crowd until, ever so slowly, Hagall and Urd knelt beside her. Jago knelt. Slowly, they all knelt, heads bowed. And then Lind spoke;

_Our Father who art in Heaven,_

_Hallowed be thy name,_

_Our postings come, thy will be done,_

_In ATSA as it is in Heaven._

_Give us this day our daily bollucking,_

_And forgive us our cock-ups,_

_So that we may forgive the cock-ups of others, _

_And lead us not into temptation,_

_But deliver us from the bloody officers. _

_For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the NAFI,_

_ For ever and ever. _

_The men!_

Slowly, Lind raised her head and then stood.

"So, are you with me?" she called out. With a slow rumble, the crowed let out a shout, crying their support.

"I think you got that one just right Lind" Hagall said. "A prayer by the Almighty One herself, on the eve of battle? A calculated risk that seems to have paid off. But where on Earth did you hear a prayer like that?"

"Jago taught it to me" she said. "It seemed like the right time to use it".

"Now it's my turn" Jago said. "Weth, where are you?"

"Here Master!" Weth shouted and the ranks parted to allow the girl through, till carrying the banner.

"Can I have the banner back?" Jago asked and Weth nodded, handing it back to him. Jago nodded his thanks and then turned so nobody could see his face. But they all felt the surge of power as one of the Opal-essences came forth and he hurled the great banner towards the ranks of the Jötunns. They watched it arc away and then slowly drop from the sky, into the ranks of the giants, striking one of the largest in the head, killing him instantly. "RIGHT THEN!" Jago boomed. "I WANT THAT BANNER BACK! THE ONE WHO GETS IT FIRST THE REST OF THE DAY OFF!" And with that, he summoned his maul and his tower shield. "AND I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF IT BEING ME!" With that, he took off, hollering as he went. Lind smirked to herself.

"Show-off" she muttered and then summoned her halberd. "VALKYRIES!" she cried, haring after him, the wings of her uniform flapping and her black jacket standing out proud against the grey and white of the ruins. And then, as a single mass, the combined forces of Heaven and Hell surged forward, bellowing their own battle cries as they bore down on the Jötunns. The Battle for Hero's Plaza had begun.

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Blades flashed, spells were hurled and Jago's maul rose and fell, hacking a path through the ranks of the Jötunns. He struck one in the stomach, then raised his heavy shield, blocking a knife blow that would have taken his head off in an instant and then heaven upwards, pooching his enemy in the face with the weapon. The Jötunn staggered backwards as Jago back-swung the maul and struck an enemy who was stood directly behind him, then spun, decapitating the injured Jötunn.

"MASTER! DUCK!" Damascus shot from his back, throwing up both hands as a rocket streaked towards them. "AEGIS SHIELD!" she cried, allowing the rocket to explode harmlessly off of it, actually killing several Jötunns in the process.

"Nice one" Jago said, crushing a Jötunn's skull under his hammer.

"Well let's try this one!" Damascus said. "Rise of boulder! Become a weapon of death for those he seek our destruction!" As she chanted, a chunk of marble the size of a carthorse rose into the air, hovering at just above head height. And then she grinned. "ROCK SHRAPNEL LAUNCHER!" With a bang, the rock shattered, sending needle sharp splinters of rock shrieking away, tearing through the ranks of the nearest Jötunns who dropped, screaming in agony.

"Now I've got to learn that one!" Jago called out, bringing his hammer around and shattering the ribs of a Jötunn soldier. "But you'd better keep up! We've got a bigger fish to fry!" And he pointed across the shattered streets to where a new foe was approaching.

"Are you really going after that thing Master?" Damascus asked and then flicked her wrists, muttering and summoning a sword of white fire.

"Well other bloody bugger's going after it. You with me?" Damascus nodded and flashed her fangs.

"Always" she said. And together, they charged onward again. For coming towards them was a monster of incomparable power. More so than the Jötunns they had been fighting… an avalanche giant. A Frost-fiend.

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Ten feet from the front rank of the Jötunns, Lind slammed the butt of her halberd into the ground and with a shout, she vaulted over the heads of the snarling giants. Her foot struck the head of a Jötunn as she came crashing down, drawing her seax as she landed and she started fighting; hacking and blocking with her halberd in one hand and slashing with her knife. Behind her, she heard the massed forces of Heaven and Hell crash into the Jötunns with the force of a sledgehammer, pushing them back with force of will. Valkyries and Niflguard fought with their multitude of weapons; swords, spears, axes and pole-arms, Auxiliaries with their hammers and the Specials with whatever they could find. And Lind led them onward, clearing a path for her brave girls to follow. She spun her halberd above her head, decapitating a score of Jötunns as she did so and then gut-stabbed a fifteen footer, causing him to drop to his knees. And glancing back, she saw her friends in the thick of it all. Urd, having changed into a skin tight purple robe, was simultaneously laying about herself with her hammer and blasting aside Jötunns with bolts of lightning. A loud thump overhead signalled the firing of Jeiko's mighty cannon arm, taking a dozen Jötunns down with a single shot, while his compatriots sniped from the rooftops, picking off enemy riflemen as soon as they were spotted. Vayrag, now the formal Captain of the First cohort, was at the head of a mixed Valkyrie and Niflguard unit, hacking her way through a Jötunn chief's bodyguard with her twin scimitars, with Skuld in amongst them, the green of her Nomex flight suit and red hammer making her stand out amongst the black, white, red and blue of her companions. That and the fact that in terms of her fighting ferocity, she was putting them all to shame, despite being two foot shorter and several millennia younger than her them. She would make a great Valkyrie one day… if she lived through today. And there was Weth, standing in her battered former Praetorian's uniform, the blue edge of Jago's ever-sharp claymore flashing in the rain.

Rain… the streets were soaked with the grey rain, mingling with the blood of the fallen of both sides. And they were falling in droves. Lind saw a huge Jötunn, at least eighteen feet tall, collapse under the relentless assault of a squad of specials, his tendons hacked through by their crude knives. Not far away, a Valkyrie and a Niflguard stood back to back, spinning around each other in a complicated dance, driving back a full score of Jötunn soldiers. But she also saw death on her own side. As Lind hacked her way through her twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth Jötunn, she saw a demon Special being torn apart by the bare hands of a pair of the foul giants and as her knife cleft through the skull of her thirty-four or thirty-firth, she saw one of her Valkyries impaled as a Jötunn morphed its hand into a lance of dagger sharp ice. And as the Valkyrie's companion roared into battle, she was gunned down by a Jötunn sniper's Kalashnikov. And Lind had never felt more proud of them. Demons, goddesses and Earth spirits, all fighting together for a single cause, for the first time in history. All united under one man. And there he was. Jago and Damascus were further forward than the rest and were in the process of subduing a horrifying Frost-fiend. They were leading from the front, as any good commanders should. Lind, Jeiko, Urd and Hagall may be the technical commanders of each military but Jago was the lynch-pin. He was the unifying force. He held them together. And she watched as he and his devil succeeded in defeating the horrifying Frost-fiend, finally slaying the monster.

"I'VE GOT IT! I'VE GOT THE FLAG!" It was Skuld. She had the banner in her hands and waved it triumphantly, unleashing an almighty cheer from the fighters as they pushed forward into the Jötunn ranks. But Lind then saw Skuld's smiling face turn to terror as she looked skywards, her mouth forming a single word: "PRAETORIANS!" And Lind looked up, casually dismembering her fifty-somethingth Jötunn, to see a sky that was black with wings the elite fighters fell from above, tearing into the rag-tag force with a horrifying gusto. But even as she turned to face this new threat, Lind heard another shout. And this was from Weth.

"TANK!" she screamed as the Jötunn crewed vehicle crashed through a nearby building, unloading its main gun into the massed ranks of both the allied forces and the Jötunn soldiers, sending Lind flying through the air. The last thing the new Almighty One remembered was seeing a second vehicle come roaring through the gap the first one had left and the main gun thumping back at where Jago had been standing, making him disappear in a cloud of flame and smoke. Then Lind struck the ground. Something cracked. Everything went dark.

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The Frost-fiend shrieked, clacking its beak together, using its bulk and long claws to smash a path through the allied ranks. A foolish Valkyrie tried to block its advance, hacking at its skeletal midriff with her billhook, only for the Frost-fined to knock her sprawling with the wrist membrane before scooping her up in its beak and preparing to break her in half.

"OI! FUGLY! WHY NOT PUT HER DOWN AND TRY SOME DARK MEAT?" The monster turned, the Valkyrie still in its beak and glared down at the pest that had interrupted its feast. And it recognised him. It was the human who had burnt its nose. It hissed slowly and dropped the Valkyrie, locking eyes with the insolent human.

"Are you sure about this Master?" Damascus asked. "Lamb isn't here so you won't have access to her full strength and that thing looks PRETTY pissed off. I mean, you did stick a flare up its nose". Jago nodded.

"Aye lass. But I need you to get something for me; get that Valkyrie out of here". He gestured at the fallen warrior who lay crumpled between the legs of the beast.

"Alright… but don't do anything stupid". With that, Damascus suddenly vanished, using her Nightmare skills to go completely invisible, leaving Jago facing the Frost-fiend, grasping his maul in one hand and his shield in the other.

"Well come on then!" he said, readying himself. And together, both he and the monster charged.

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The Frost-fiend shrieked into towards him, smashing smaller giants aside in its furious rush to reach Jago. He was ready though and as the monster reached him, he side-stepped the snapping beak and brought his hammer around, cracking it hard into its head. The monster simply shrugged off the blow and bowed low, scything with its claws, trying to disembowel him only for them to crash hard against his shield. But he had underestimated the monster's strength.

"Hellfire!" he shouted as the monstrous aberration thumped him to his knees, raking his shield with its claws. It drew back and struck down again, trying to hook its claws under his shield but Jago struck back, clouting the Frost-fiend on the hand with the hammer side of the maul. The creature shrieked and reared back, shaking its bloodied hand and then hissed, swinging around with its other clawed fist, knocking Jago aside. He rolled and pulled the big shield over himself as the beak pecked downward, crashing into the shield with the force of a battering ram. But that was the advantage of the tower shield; at nearly six foot in height, and three across, it was easily big enough to take cover underneath it. And from under his shield, Jago saw the flicker of light that betrayed Damascus's presence as she carried the badly injured Valkyrie back towards the friendly medics. She was safe. Now it was time to fight back. He waited for the beak to strike his shield once more and then punched upward, cracking it on the snout with its hard edge. Before the Frost-fiend could recover, he yanked his .22 from inside his jacket and let fly at the monster's torso, peppering the thick hide with rounds. In truth, the bullets were little more than an irritation to the monster, but Jago had replaced the normal shells with incendiary rounds which burned at its flesh and caused it to back away, snapping its beak and pawing at itself. While it was distracted, Jago leapt up again and dropping the gun, he spun the maul, bringing it around with a sickening crunch, into the monster's ribs. The Frost-fiend snarled but before it could strike back, Jago brought the edge of his shield down onto its foot with a resounding thump, causing it to stagger. In a final act, he dropped the hammer and whipped out his khukuri, slicing it across the monster's throat in a killing blow. And then the creature was blasted away as Damascus materialised behind the beast and sent a Concussion Blast into its back, sending it arcing away, crashing, bleeding and dying into a nearby building. "Was that really necessary?" Jago asked.

"Well it was dead anyway after that throat slice but I wanted to be sure…" Damascus said, blushing and then elbowed a charging Jötunn in the face, with her elbow covered in an iron spike.

"I didn't know you could fight" Jago said in admiration at the last move, ducking under a Jötunn's knife and filleting it with his khukuri.

"I can't" his devil replied. "But I can use combat spells when I need to. Or convert normal spells into combat ones". Jago nodded but their discussion was interrupted suddenly as they Skuld's voice raise itself above the sound of the fighting.

"I'VE GOT IT! I'VE GOT THE FLAG!" she shouted and the pair turned to see her waving the great banner above the ranks of the allied forces. But then they also saw her face fall as she pointed skywards and she screamed. "PRAETORIANS!" Then there was a crash an armoured behemoth crashed through a nearby building, as the Praetorians swept in, raining death as they came.

"TANK!" Weth shouted and she talked both Jago and Damascus as the vehicle's big gun swung around, covering her Master and his devil with her body. And then the cannon fired, filling the air with smoke as the high explosive shell struck the ground just before them.

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Light suddenly filed Lind's eyes as they shot open and she shook her head a few times, trying to dispel the ringing in her ears. And then she gasped in agony as she shifted her weight, putting weight on her shattered wrist. It burned like fire as she cupped her hand to it but was then distracted by a loud grinding noise. Her eye's widened.

"FALL BACK!" Hagall shouted as half a dozen tanks crashed through the ruined building, pouring cannon and machine gun fire into the retreating fighters, indiscriminately killing both enemies and fellow Jötunns alike. And Lind suddenly realised that she was alone, all other forces before her having already fallen back. Just her and the tanks… a hand came down suddenly and grasped her by the shoulder.

"I'm getting real tired of dragging your sorry arse around Lind!" Mara said, grasping the new Almighty One tightly and starting to pull her back. Lind had just enough time to grasp her battered halberd with her one good hand as Mara started dragging her back towards the retreating forces. She gasped a few times as her broken wrist cracked against the larger chunks of rubble. "SHIELD!" Mara shouted and threw up a defence as another shell whipped past and crashed into the magic barrier with an enormous crash. "DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" she hissed and then with a final grunt she heaved Lind behind chunk of wreckage, before dropping to her knees beside her.

"Why did you save me?" Lind asked, tearing off on of her uniform's shoulder wings and using it to bind her wrist, using her seax knife as a splint.

"If anything were to happen to you, I'd have both the head of the Earth spirit army and the Paladin on my arse" she said, peering out from behind the rubble and then snapping back down as a machine gun round snapped into the rubble beside her ear. Just then a Praetorian dropped down beside them, her poleaxe in hand and she swung for Mara who had no time to block the move. But Lind had seen the attack coming she whipped Mjolnir out from under jacket and hurled it at the Praetorian. The heavy hammer struck her in the chest, punching straight through her chest and out the other side, killing her instantly. Mara spun in shock, just in time to see the dead Praetorian fall to the floor, as Mjolnir returned directly to Lind's hand, in a similar manner to a boomerang.

"Now we're even" the Valkyrie said simply and then glanced up at Mara who was stood with a dumb look on her face. "I'd get down if I were you; you're gonna get your head blown off". Mara dropped to the ground as Lind continued to bind her shattered wrist, grunting in pain as she tightened the bandages. "So where's Jago? Did he survive?" Mara looked dumb for a moment but then she appeared to return to her senses.

"Wah… oh, yeah. Yeah, he's fine. Weth saved him but it looked like she was hurt pretty bad. Last I saw, he was dragging her sorry arse to cover in pretty much the same way as I did for you". Lind frowned but nodded.

"Alright. Now we'd better do something about these tanks; we're sitting ducks if we can't get rid of them".

"My thoughts exactly". The pair looked up as Lamb dropped to the ground between them, panting breathlessly. "Sorry I took so long, got a bit held up".

"Good to see you Lamb" Lind said. "Any news?"

"Well your mother is alive" the angel said. "She and the remaining survivors of her unit are on their way here right now. But Master needs your help to take out those tanks so that they have a safe approach". She glanced across at Mara. More specifically, at the battered rocket launcher she still had strapped to her back. "Mara, this is where you come in…"

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Weth screamed as she rolled off of Jago and Damascus, having done her best to protect them from the high explosive shell.

"MY LEGS!" she screamed, staring down at the bloodied ruins of the stumps where both legs had been severed just above the knees.

"SHIT!" Jago shouted. "WHERE THE HELL DID THEY GET ARMOUR FROM?" He glanced across at Damascus as she yanked a piece of shrapnel from her leg with a gasp. "Damascus, kill those SOBs!" he shouted as he grasped Weth by the shoulder and started pulling her to safety. His apprentice screamed as her shattered legs were dragged across the ground while Damascus began to charge a powerful fire spell that would reduce the heavy tanks to molten slag.

"PULSING THUNDER!" she cried, letting fly with the electrical attack and a bolt of lightning shot forth from her hand, streaking towards the Jötunn's tank column. And simply dissipated as it struck the lead vehicle. "Wah…?" she said slowly but then shook herself. "WIND BOMBARDMENT!" she cried, sending a super dense wave of wind towards the tanks; one that should have been enough to lift the thirty-four ton vehicles and hurl them away. But again, the spell just dissipated.

"Come on Damascus, kill those guys!" Jago shouted as Damascus looked down at her hands, trying to work out why the spells hadn't worked. But then she twigged.

"Hellfire! They have magic dampeners! I can't do anything!"

"LOOK OUT!" Jago then shouted and she looked up to see the main gun of one of the tanks aimed directly at her. She yelped and threw up a shield just as the cannon thumped back, sending a round crashing into it. The shield held but the blast almost collapsed the field, leaving Damascus vulnerable. "GET OUT OF THERE!" Jago shouted but one of the other tanks then rolled up, firing its own gun. This time, instead of a high explosive shell, the shell fired was a sabot round: a two foot long dart of toughened metal, designed to punch through the armoured hull of another tank. Or in this case, through a weakened energy shield. The shock of the blast lifted Damascus off of her feet and sent her spinning away, crashing into a mound of rubble. "DAMASCUS! NO!" Jago shouted. The devil snarled to herself and tried to stand but quickly realised that she was still looking down the barrels of half a dozen tanks, so she tried to throw up a more powerful Aegis Shield. But it failed. Damascus was completely drained. She had used the last of her strength.

"Fuck" she said softly and then contacted Jago with her mind. "_Sorry Master"_ she said simply. "_Looks like I've fucked up". _ And then closed her eyes as the nearest tank rumbled forward, gun pointed directly for her. The cannon fired…

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There was a boom form above as something punched through the MACH and suddenly, Damascus's view of the tank was blocked as a dark shape surrounded her, shielding her from the high explosive shell.

"Alright _hobgoblin?" _ Lamb asked though gritted teeth, her wings in their Razor Wing state, protecting them both from income tank fire.

"Lamb? God am I glad to see you!" Damascus said as the sound of machinegun fire fill the air, the bullets clattering off of Lamb's wings in a flurry of sparks.

"Good to see you too" Lamb said and then grunted as a tank's gun fired, denting one of her wings with a sabot round. "But we can talk later. Right now, we need to get out of here". Damascus nodded and together, they rose into a crouch as the bullets continued to rattle off of Lamb's wings and they headed over to one of the gutted buildings, ducking inside the door. Jago looked up from the rear of the room where he was busy putting tourniquets on each of Weth's legs. He looked battered and his hat and jacket was speckled with blood and stained with soot but he gave them a smile as Lamb released Damascus from her wings.

"I see you made it" he said. "You alright Lamb? Damascus?"

"A few cuts and scrapes" Damascus said. "I'm sorry about those tanks though; they're protected from my magic…" Jago nodded and rolled another Dr Pepper over to her so she could boost her energy levels.

"Don't worry about it, at least you're alive". He then nodded at the can. "That's for you. I saw that you'd run out of magic and I reckon you could do with a boost". Damascus nodded and bit into the can, draining it like a like a caffeine deprived vampire as Jago turned to Lamb who was busy knocking the dents out of her wings with her fists. "How about you? You alright?" Lamb nodded with a grin.

"Was there ever any real doubt? It'll take more than a few Praetorians and some tanks to beat me down" she said, punching out the sabot dent and then switching her wings back to their normal flesh and feather. "I also have some good news; Valmeyar is alive. She and the remnants of her cohort escaped using a stealth spell and are waiting at about fifteen-thousand feet to lend their support. In fact, they're holding back the Praetorians as best they can without giving away their position". But then she frowned. "She wants to lend her support but they can't do anything until we get rid of those tanks. They'll be slaughtered before they could do anything, especially with those magic dampeners". Jago nodded and then paused, glancing across at Damascus.

"Alright… Damascus, do what you can for Weth. Lamb and I are gonna try and find a way to knock out those tanks". The devil nodded, crumpling the can and then coming to squat beside the injured goddess as Jago and Lamb crossed to a blown out window, ducking to take cover. "Right, let's see what we're up against…" Jago said and then stuck his head up above the window frame, snatching a momentary glance at the nearest tank. "Ok… T-55Ms. Cheap and nasty Soviet armour. Two-hundred mil steel plate armour and a one-hundred mil main gun, backed up by two heavy machine guns… How many did you see Lamb?" Lamb paused, chewing her lip.

"Eight" she said. "Six outside and another two further back down the street. One got stuck in a building and they're using another tank to tow it out". Jago nodded, wrinkling his brow.

"So… eight. And we barely have the firepower to take out one". Lamb cocked her head and thought for a second.

"Well, I can probably take out two of them, possibly three, if I go Prime and use my sword. But I'd need some cover if I'm to get close". Jago paused and nodded again, considering how best to deal with this thorny problem.

"Well I can probably take one out if I'm clever about it… but I only have the gear to knock out one". Then Damascus spoke up from the back of the room.

"Master, didn't Mara have a rocket launcher? Would that have the power to knock out a… T-55?" Both Jago and Lamb looked across at her, considering this.

"Perhaps…" Jago said, "provided she has a HEAT rocket or two. Lamb, can you find her and get her here? And while you're at it, check on Lind. She looked like she got clipped pretty good by that high explosive shell". Lamb nodded and then glanced upwards.

"Ok Master. I'll be back shortly". With that, she spread her wings and shot upwards, punching through the floor above and out through the roof of the building. Jago watched her go and then cross back over to Damascus and Weth, glancing at the wounded goddess.

"How is she?" he asked. Damascus looked him straight in the eye and then shook her head.

"She MIGHT live but her legs are too far gone. I can't fix them". Jago looked down sadly at his crippled apprentice.

"What about that healing spell the Almighty- Lord Tyr used on Lamb to fix her wings? Wouldn't that work?" Damascus shook her head again.

"I'm sorry Master but Weth's legs can't be fixed. Even if we get her to the medics, she's too far gone. She'll be lucky to just survive, never mind anything else".

"Bloody waste" he said sadly and then stood as the sound of hurrying footsteps echoed across the street, as first Lamb and Mara came haring through the doorway and then dived for cover. Then the building shook as a pair of high explosive rounds slammed into the outer wall, sending chunks of rock scattering across the room. "Hey? Are you two alright?" Jago called out and slowly, Lamb raise her head, her black hair turned grey with dust.

"I'm alright" she said.

"Why did I agree to this?" Mara muttered, standing and dusting herself off. "So, what exactly are you planning Jago? What's so important that I'm risking life and limb to get here?" Jago held up an hand to her and turned Lamb.

"First of all, how's Lind?"

"She broke her wrist when she took that hit from the tank" Lamb said. "Other than that though, she's fine. Mara got her under cover before anyone could get to her".

"Good. What about the rest of them? How are they holding up?" Lamb shook her head.

"It's not looking good. Urd and Hagall have pulled everyone they could back the Praetorians have joined the battle and they're pounding us from the air. Every time they try and counter attack, the Jötunn anti-aircraft guns blast them out of the sky. They can't even get the Tanngrisnir up. Now Valmeyar is ready to lend her support as soon as she can but with those tanks there…"

"Nuff said" Jago said. "Mara, that launcher still work?" Mara unslung the RPG and held it across her body.

"Sure" she said. "But I tried it against the tanks; it just bounced off".

"Did you try a HEAT rocket though?" Mara paused and cocked her head.

"What's a HEAT rocket?"

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HEAT. High Explosive Anti-Tank. The idea is simple; a copper cone lined with a high explosive charge. Upon impart, the explosive is detonated, turning the copper into a jet of molten metal that burns through the armour of a tank and kills the crew inside, either directly or by cooking off the on-board ammunition or fuel. Next to useless against infantry but devastating against any kind of vehicle, especially a sixty year old tank. They had two of these rockets. Now they just need a plan.

"Alright" Jago said, "Mara, you head to the first floor and wait for us to move. I want you to hit the first tank in the convoy. Aim for the rear of the turret; it should cook off the ammunition and blow the thing to pieces. In the meantime, Lamb and I will take out the next few, drawing fire while you reload. Then you hit the last tank before it can get away. Got it?" Mara nodded, hefting her launcher.

"You sure about this?" she said to which Jago shrugged.

"Not really but it's not exactly like we have a lot of choice". Mara paused and then she nodded.

"Alright. Good luck Jago. And you Lamb. Try not to die or else it'll just be me and the damn tourists". With that, she turned away, disappearing up the stairs. As she disappeared however, Lamb turned to Jago, looking concerned.

"Master, if you don't mind me asking…. how exactly are _you_ going to knock out a tank? Jupiter or Pluto probably have the strength but if you try and punch a tank to death, you'll just end up hurting yourself".

"Good observation Lamb" Jago said. "But I have thought this over and I'm going to use possibly the simplest anti-tank weapon ever". With that, he pulled off his shirt and then reached inside his jacket, pulling out the half bottle of Suicider.

"And… what are you doing?" she asked.

"Well let's say… it's from Russia with love. Or possibly Finland? I can't remember. Oh and Damascus; get Weth out of here. She's been through enough today". The devil nodded and reached down to lift the unconscious goddess.

"Yes Master" she said and then started to fade out, using her camouflage spell to disappear. "Just one thing to YOU Lamb" she said. "Don't let Master do anything stupid".

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Mara peered cautiously out of the window and down at the Jötunn's armoured column, the RPG resting snugly on her shoulder. She carefully sighted on the lead tank, aiming her rocket at the rear of the turret where the armour was thinnest. And then she waited. And waited. She began to sweat and she licked her lips nervously. At any moment, one of the tanks could spot her and it would be all over for her; blown apart in an instant.

"Come on, come on" she muttered. And she watched the top hatch of one tank crack open and the vehicle's commander emerge, a helmet crammed onto his filthy hair. The Jötunn growled to himself and reached for the heavy machine-gun that was mounted above the commander's hatch, tucking it to his shoulder and firing a short burst down the street towards the enemy. And then Jago sprung his trap. Mara fired.

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Jago emerged first, his khukuri in one hand, a Molotov cocktail in the other. With a yell, he raced towards the third tank in the column. At the same time, Mara fired, sending her rocket arcing towards the lead tank as Lamb emerged in her full Prime form, her buster-sword in hand. The lead tank disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the HEAT rocket struck the rear of the turret, instantly cooking off the ammunition and blowing the tank apart. Meanwhile, Lamb hurled her sword at the second tank. The heavy weapon spun end over end, splitting the heavy vehicle in half down the middle. Jago leapt, using the still exploding wreck as a boost and then jumped again, landing on the third tank. As he scrambled up the armoured front, the top hatch popped open and the commander emerged, reaching for the machine gun. But Jago was on him in an instant, slicing his throat with his heavy knife. He then slid down the rear of the tank and smashed the petrol bomb over the tank's exhaust, filling the engine bay with burning alcohol. Finally, he jumped down, just in time to see Lamb rip the turret from fourth tank and then use it to club the fifth into oblivion. And together, they ran for cover as the engine of Jago's tank exploded, blasting its turret fifty feet into the air. Five tanks dead in less than a minute. The final tank was backing away, firing both cannon and machine-guns in an attempt to drive them back but by now, Mara had reloaded, firing off her second rocket. The battle was a good as over. But then something inconceivable happened. The rocket _missed_.

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The Jötunn gear was all in terrible condition. Old, rotten AK-74s, second hand RPGs and AAA guns that were so rusted through that they should really have been consigned to the scrap yard years ago. The only reason they were still working was that they were Russian weapons and this meant that you could break pretty much every part of them and they would still work. But even then, there were misfires. Magazines exploded as a round tried to force its way into a chamber that had a shell that had jammed in the mechanism, barrels warped and in one case, a Jötunn who had somehow managed to acquire a flame-thrower was instantly incinerated as the fuel tank ruptured, dowsing him and his comrades in highly flammable fuel, just as he pulled the trigger to launch a jet of fire. And when Mara launched her rocket, it misfired. One of the tiny fins on the side of the weapon that helped it to stabilise itself in flight, sending it into a spin that steered it off course. As such, instead of striking the tank in the vulnerable armour just above the main gun, it struck the hull, just above the right track and blew it off of the road wheels. The tank was immobilized. But the guns were all still operational.

"OH SHIT!" Mara shouted as the big gun slewed around, aiming right for her hiding place. And then it thumped back, sending a high explosive shell into her hiding place.

"MARA! MARA!" Lamb shouted above the rumble of the tank's engine.

"AH! I think we've lost her!" Jago said but then his attention was snatched back as the tank's main gun slewed around to face them. They were dead.

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They never did find out why the tank didn't fire. They were completely helpless. Lamb had reverted back from her Prime form, exhausted by the huge expenditure of energy it had just taken while Jago didn't have the time to throw up a shield. For what was probably about a second but for what felt like an hour, they just stood there staring down the barrel of the tank's gun. What is likely to have happened was the operator (*1) had either dropped the shell or had simply run out of shells but for whatever reason, it didn't fire. And the next second, there was a hypersonic roar as something collided with the front of the tank, punching through the thick frontal armour and then straight out the rear of the vehicle. Dragging anything inside the tank, that hadn't been nailed down out through the same hole. A hole less than the size of a human head. A red volcano of gore.

"I LIKE this new hammer!" Lind said, sliding down her rubble pile as Mjolnir returned to her, boomerang style. "Remind me to put it on my Christmas list!" But then she paused as she saw that Jago and Lamb were still stood stock still, as if frozen.

"I think some poo came out…" Jago said softy.

"Me too" said Lamb. Lind slapped the pair of them.

"OI! Back to Earth you two!" They shook themselves and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Lind" Jago said and then nodded at her wrist which was now in a sling that she had crafted from her uniform wings. "You alright?" Lind shrugged.

"I'll mend. What about you two? Are you ok?" The pair nodded but then Lamb lowered her head.

"I think we lost Mara". Just then, there was a shout from further down the street.

"WHAT?" Mara shouted, emerging dusty and bruised form the gutted building.

"How the Hell did you survive that?" Jago asked as she approached unsteadily.

"WHAT? SPEAK UP, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" All three of them face-palmed.

"Great… she's alive but deaf" Lind said and then hefted Mjolnir once more. "Right, we'd better get back. It's getting pretty dicey up there and they'll need all the reinforcements they can get".

"Wait a minute" Jago said. "I lost my maul and shield in the scuffle with the Frost-fiend. I can't fight without some kind of heavy weapon".

"Then maybe I can help Master" Lamb said and without another word, she turned and headed over to the tank that Lind had just destroyed, reached up and yanked the barrel of the gun free of the turret, before turning and tossing it to him. It nearly crushed him. Luckily, he had the sense to call up Jupiter as he saw the big gun come sailing towards him and caught it awkwardly. "Will that work?" Lamb asked as Jupiter hefted the gun. He paused and then, grasping it in both hands, he broke the metal tube across his knee to form a large, and extremely heavy club.

"Yeah, this'll do" he said. "Looks like I'm going clubbing. He then turned to face the others, his eyes red and a wicked smile on his face. "Now, I'm not planning on hurting any of you but if you get too close, I can't guarantee anything because I'm, planning on going completely berserker on them". Lamb and Lind both nodded sagely while Mara just gave him a funny look.

"WHAT?"

"I said LEAD ME, FOLLOW ME OR GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

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Fifteen-thousand feet above, three hundred pairs of eyes watched the unfolding drama below, particularly that surrounding the tank column. And as six pillars of smoke rose over the battlefield as the tanks were each destroyed, the survivors of Valmeyar's cohort unmasked.

"READY GIRLS?" she shouted and without a sound, three hundred hammers materialised in their hands. "GOOD! FOE-HAMMERS!" And with their war-cry on their lips, the last of the loyal Praetorians fell to Earth, raining death upon both the traitors and invaders alike. Vengeance was swift.

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The Foe-Hammers struck hard at the enemy forces, their weapons glittering in the sun and rain. They fell to Earth, spitting fire and death upon their enemies while bringing relief to their friends and comrades. They numbered barely three-hundred; a pittance against the near six-thousand Praetorians who had turned traitor and the millions of giants who supported them. But the Forth cohort were the strongest of them, the heavy weapons specialists, with barely one amongst them less than six feet tall and all immensely strong in build. And they fought with a righteous fury that terrified their enemies, scattering them like leaves in the wind. Valmeyar lead from the front, her twenty pound hammer in one hand, her rapier in the other, alternately smashing aside her opponents and jabbing into chinks in thick armour. Within a minute of their arrival, they had routed both the traitors and the Jötunns, driving them back down the street that they had come from and were met with a Hero's welcome by the combined forces at Hero's Plaza.

"Lady Valmeyar!" Damascus called out as the Praetorians made their way into the Plaza. The bowed her head and crossed to the devil, removing her helmet and running a hand through her hair.

"Damascus… it's good to see you. I see that Lamb wasn't wrong; Jago has done a sterling job in defending this place. And I'm sorry we didn't come sooner; we tried to hold our ground at the Gungnir control centre but we were overrun. Luckily, we disabled the weapon before it could be captured so we don't need to worry about an orbital bombardment". Damascus nodded as the Praetorian set down her hammer and sighed. "So where's Jago anyway? He should be here right?" Damascus pointed towards the shattered street and the wrecked T-55s beyond.

"Last I saw, he was knocking out those tanks. After that… well I'm not sure". But as if in answer, they heard Jago's voice, mingled with the panicked cries of trapped Jötunns. He was singing.

"_I got soul but I'm not a solider!"_

_"I got soul but I'm not a solider!"_

_"I got soul but I'm not a solider!"_

_"I got soul but I'm not a solider!"_

To the surprise of everyone, a handful of Jötunns started running back towards them, clearly trying to escape something. And then Jago emerged, casually striding between the shattered buildings and burnt out tanks, swiping at nearby enemies with a club nearly as big as he was, apparently made from the barrel of a tanks gun. Close behind but keeping enough distance to be safe, were Lamb, Mara and Lind, picking off any Jötunn stupid enough to try and sneak back past Jago. But it soon became clear why they were hanging back and the Jötunns were running; it wasn't Jago, it was Jupiter. Eventually, they cleared the last few Jötunns and Jupiter tutted disappointedly before turning and marching directly towards the allied forces, who parted as he approached.

"Jupiter right?" Valmeyar said as he stopped just short of her, resting his chin on his club.

"That's my name, don't wear it out" the Opal-essence said dismissively. "But it's not me you'll be wanting to talk to". He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again, they had faded from Jupiter's red to Jago's brown once more.

"Got him on a lead now" Jago said. "So you made it Valmeyar. Is this all of you?" Valmeyar nodded sadly.

"Three-hundred or there-about. Mostly from my cohort although there are a few loyalists from other units who refused to rebel. Mostly those with daughters in the Valkyrie corps". Jago nodded.

"Good. Now, are your girls ready to fight?"

"With respect Lord Paladin, we didn't exactly get here off of our good looks". Jago nodded but just then, there was a loud explosion and they all turned to see a great tower topple in the distance. "What the…?" Valmeyar asked.

"Looks like our road blocks are finally in place" Jago said, making Valmeyar turn to look at him in horror.

"You had those towers demolished as _road blocks!"_ she demanded as two more towers toppled and fell. "You may be the Paladin but that's going to far! You don't have the authority to-"

"He did it under my authority Mother" Lind said, stepping up and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Your authority?" Valmeyar asked. "But-"

"I'm the Almighty One now Mother… or didn't you get the memo?" Valmeyar looked stunned.

"You're the Almighty One? But-" This time she stopped herself. "I'm babbling and there's no time. You can tell me later. Right now, we need to start making plans to bring in more reinforcements… and possibly start a full evacuation".

"What are you talking about?" Lind asked. "Jeiko- Lord Sukaru and his Earth spirits have already come. There's nobody else we can call upon".

"That's where you're wrong Lind" Valmeyar said. "There are humans".

"Humans?" Jago asked. "Have I missed something here?"

"No, not really Jago. It was a closely guarded secret, even here in Heaven that we were dealing with the humans". Then Valmeyar got smug. "But did you really think that we were just sitting idle all this time? Ever since we learnt there was a traitor in Heaven, we've had spies and scouts on Earth, keeping track of enemy movements. And it looks like it's time to put them to use". She turned to Lind. "As the Almighty One Lind, I need you permission; should we begin Titanium Rain?" Lind took a moment to consider this.

"Yes…" she said. "Mother- Lady Valmeyar, I give you permission to begin operations". Valmeyar nodded and turned away, leaving Jago utterly confused.

"Umm, does somebody want to tell me what the Hell is going on here?" He turned to Lind. "What's Titanium Rain?" Lind massaged the bridge of her nose and grunted to herself.

"The ultimate sanction, short of mass extermination, in the event of invasion of Heaven or Hell. Stage One: revelation. Using our network of spies, we reveal our presence to Earth and hope we don't cause a third world war in the process. Stage Two: combat evac. Human reinforcements bolster our fighting forces here as we conduct a full evacuation to Earth".

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! Reveal yourselves to Earth? Full Evacuation to Earth? What is this shit?"

"It's just about the final option Jago" Lind said patiently. "And as the Almighty One, it's my job to ensure that it happens now. We've held off the first wave but if my mother considers it necessary to do so… and remember; she's the most senior warrior here… then we NEED to do it. Too many people have died today already. Understand now?" Jago nodded slowly.

"Right… this is the "nut up or shut up" moment isn't it? Because you look bloody serious".

"I'm now considering Stage Three Jago so yes, I'm serious".

"And what's stage three?"

"Stage Three is Hammer Down" Lind said. She turned away. Jago just stood.

"Fuck" he said. "I'm way over my head…"

"How do you think we feel?" Damascus asked.

*1 Loader and radio operator

**Authors Note: It's funny isn't it? I originally planned this as little more than a chapter introduction. In the end, it's ended up as one of my longer chapters... but at least now you know half of what the next chapter is. Titanium Rain. But Streetfighter? Now that's still a surprise.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

**Here Comes Titanium Rain**

Heimdall sat down quietly, leaning on his sword. His armour was rent and torn, his blood pooling around him, mixing with the rain. Around him lay the corpses of a full Jötunn battalion; more than a thousand giants, all who had died trying to defeat the ancient Guardian. And his mission had been a success. He had seen the twins slip into the base of the tower and then the great building had collapsed, its internal supports blown through and sending the hundred-thousand ton edifice crashing down, creating an insurmountable road block; one that even the tallest of Jötunns would be unable to scale. And now, he could rest.

"Good evening man". Heimdall looked up wearily through the rain, into the grinning face of Death.

"It has been a long time, little brother" Heimdall said wearily. "I guess you're here for me now?"

"Aye, sorry man. It's time for us to go". Heimdall nodded and slowly stood, leaving his broken body slumped against the ruins of tower.

"Time to go?"

"Aye man". And turning away, D led his older brother away.

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Bob sighed as he killed the CRARRV's engine.

"Well, it looks like we're done here. All three roads are blocked so we can't go back and we can't go forward in this thing". Chrono nodded sadly as she inspected the front of the vehicle. They had survived numerous attacks, the tank's thick armour absorbing incoming rockets and bullets while the tank itself had been fast and heavy enough to crush most enemies beneath its tracks and Chrono's axe cutting down anyone who had tried to board the vehicle. But then they had run into the enemy armour. Rounding a corner, they had been dropped almost on top of a pair of T-55s, one stuck in a building and another trying to recover it. They had needed to get out fast, even as shells struck the side of their vehicle and they had gone through several vehicles. But in their hurry to escape, they had been struck in the tracks by an RPG. They had escaped but a few streets over, the track had shattered, immobilizing the vehicle behind enemy lines. "So what do we do?"

"Well we can't stay here" Chrono said, thumping the side of the tank with her fist. "This thing will attract every Jötunn and Praetorian for miles. We need to find somewhere to hold up away from here and try and secure a rescue".

"Alright" Bob said and he reached down the side of his seat, unclipping his brother's shotgun from the side of his seat and then slotting a bayonet to the bottom of the barrel. "I'll follow your lead. So where do we go?"

"You should follow us". The pair looked up as Eir and Saga dropped from the roof of a nearby building, landing nimbly beside them.

"I thought that after you two would have headed back to the plaza once the towers went down" Chrono said.

"We would…" said Saga.

"… but we can't get past the Jötunns there" said Eir. "So we thought we'd team up with you and hitch a lift back. But…"

"… it looks liken that's not going to happen". Bob nodded and climbed down from the CRRAV.

"Yeah, this beast isn't going anywhere any time soon. So do you two know somewhere we can take cover?"

"Yep, we-"

"Good, you can tell me on the way" Bob said. "But now, we need to move".

"What's up?" Chrono said.

"Well I just set a C4 charge on the tank's power-pack with a one minute fuse. We've got about thirty seconds until it blows sky high". The twins glanced at each other and then turned, setting off at a jog, away from the CRARRV, not bothering to check that the other two were following them. A few seconds later, the tank exploded as the C4 charge blew apart the on-board fuel supply, thereby preventing the tank from falling into enemy hands.

"So where exactly are we going?" Chrono asked as they began to slow, now longer in danger from the now burned out tank.

"The central palace" Eir said.

"WHAT!?"

"Well of course!" said Saga. "The closer we are to danger, farther we are from harm! It's the last thing they'd expect!"

"That makes no sense! The enemy are coming OUT of the palace! So why are we going IN?"

"Don't argue with them" Bob said. "Just follow them. They probably have some mad reason that makes sense to them".

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There was silence as Valmeyar and Lind explained their plans to the temporary council; the various commanders of the Niflguard and Valkyries, Urd and Hagall as the regents of Hell and Jeiko as the Earth spirit representative. Jago in the meantime, had gone to check on Weth. Someone coughed. And then a Valkyrie Captain stepped forward.

"Almighty One, Lady Valmeyar, would you mind terribly if I gave you an honest opinion to your plan?"

"Go ahead" Valmeyar said blandly.

"Thank you. Now; HAVE YOU BOTH LOST YOUR MINDS?" There were a number of shouts of agreement. "Expose our existence to the _humans? Evacuate? _Nobody in their right minds would even consider a plan like this!" Valmeyar sighed.

"Look, do you have any other suggestions?" she asked, exasperated.

"Well with those roadblocks in place and a strong force on the main road, we-"

"We were nearly defeated by a half-dozen tanks" the Praetorian said. "If it hadn't been for luck and bloody-mindedness, you would have been overrun. We know that there are at least two more tanks out there somewhere, possibly more and we have almost nothing left that can knock out heavy armour like that. Humans can".

"Didn't Mara use some kind of rocket to knock one out?" a Niflguard asked. "If-"

"We only have a handful of launchers and almost as few anti-tank rockets if the Paladin's descriptions are to be believed… and considering he seems to know tanks better than any of us, we should probably take his word for it. Apparently high-explosives aren't effective against armoured vehicles".

"Where is the Paladin?" Hagall asked. "I thought that he would want to be in on this discussion".

"He's seeing to the wounded" Lind said, speaking for the first time since they had explained their plan. "But he has made his view known; he likes the idea even less than you do but he says that under the circumstances, it might just work… plus he's made an observation; we've raised the island of Avalon and it won't be long until the humans discover it, if they aren't already there". There was silence for a second.

"Supposing we do agree to this plan" one of them said, "and this is not for one minute suggesting that we do, but if we do, then how will this work? How will the humans get here? And how do WE get out?"

"The plan is we hack a Gate and use her to let the humans through. And as most of us are so low on magic we can barely fly, the humans are going to have to help us to evacuate". Lind sighed again. This was going to be difficult. "Look, I know this is possibly the worst scenario that we will ever have to face but unless we can evacuate NOW, we're going to be overrun in the very next attack".

"Lind's right" Jago said, approaching the group, a battered tin mug in his hand. "I know that you're loath to abandon Heaven but as it stands, we-". He stopped as a bullet shot past him, punching a hole through his mug. "Bugger" he said and plugged the holes with two fingers. "As I was saying, as it stands, we don't have anywhere near enough fighters to hold here. So the choices are this; stay here and die in droves or run and survive". He paused, emptying the last few drops from his mug and then tossed it away.

"But revealing ourselves to the humans? It's-" Jago snapped. Jupiter came out. The unfortunate Niflguard found herself being lifted into the air by the angry man as he ground his teeth together.

"ONE-THOUSAND, THREE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN!" Jupiter bellowed. "THAT'S HOW MANY PEOPLE I HAVE SEEN DIE TODAY! AND THAT'S JUST ON OUR SIDE! THE ENEMY CASULTIES ARE AT LEAST TEN TIMES THAT!" Jupiter suddenly released her and she dropped to the ground. "Here's something I've learned; Deaderuss is trying to bring back Kronos. News flash right?" There was muttering amongst them. This was indeed news. "From what I understand, to bring him back, Deaderuss must kill ten-thousand goddesses, the same number of demons and a million tarnished souls. I don't know about the million but if this keeps up, he's going to fill his goddess and demon body bags within the hour. Now, I may be a vicious bastard but that's something I'm not particularly keen on seeing. I mean, by all means, I would fight Kronos myself given the chance… might even be fun, but as it stands, by that point, there won't really be a great deal of point. You'll all be dead see?" And with that, Jupiter faded away again, Jago taking his place.

"Now then, you've heard my peace. I suggest now that we make the best of a bad situation and get it done. What do you say?" He looked at every assembled being there. Reluctantly, each nodded in turn. "Good". He turned to Valmeyar. "Make the call".

"Well that's another problem" the Praetorian said. "We can't… the communications are being jammed. The only way to get the message through would be for someone to go to Earth and contact Belldandy, then she would have to put the call through to our spy and then-"

"Oh bloody Hell!" Jago said. "Somebody find Skuld already! Tell her to start evacuation flights again but when she arrives, she needs to pass the message on to Belldandy". With that he turned away, leaving them to argue the particulars of the mission. Not that it mattered; his word was final now, especially with Jupiter having put the fear of god into them. Lind and Valmeyar were on his side, as were Hagall and Urd. That was all that mattered. He sighed wearily as a hand was laid on his shoulder. "Hey Lind" he said.

"I agree with your sentiment Jago; we both agree that this is the best solution to a bad situation. And I'm glad for your support". Jago turned and faced his blue haired goddess and for the first time, Lind realised that he looked tired. Bone tired.

"Thanks" he said simply.

"No, it's me thanking you, not the other way around. You've the lynch pin of this whole operation; you steadied the line before we could fall into disarray, you turned back the first wave of attack, you brought the most unlikely of reinforcements, you've turned this place into a fortress and between you, Lamb and Mara, you knocked out an entire column of heavy armour". She brushed his cheek with one hand and kissed him gently. But then she took a step back, her face becoming stern. "But you must remember Jago, that even with all you strength and prowess, you're still just human. I'm amazed that you're still alive after what you've been through in the last few days. I know for a fact that you haven't slept for at least four days and haven't eaten anything substantial for at least three". She steeled herself. "Paladin Jago, for the next hour, you are relieved of duty. Eat something and get some rest. Let me worry about getting the humans here… if I need you, I'll send for you". Slowly, Jago nodded.

"Alright" he said. "But make sure that Skuld gets this". He handed her his phone. "It'll get her Belldandy into contact with this spy of your mother's". Lind nodded and then grunted as Jago keeled forward, having fallen asleep, the sedative patch on his cheek having finally taken effect. With her wrist still damaged, Lind couldn't catch him but she didn't need to; her angels did it for her.

"He's stronger than I thought he'd be… how the Hell did he resist the sedative for that long?"

"Good question" Lamb said, appearing behind him, Damascus beside her. "But you realise that he's going to be APOCALYPTICALLY cross when he wakes up. For now though, we need to prepare to get these reinforcements in".

"Aye" Lind said. "Let's just hope that they get here in time". The angels nodded as they heard the noise in the distance; the sound of a million Jötunns bearing down on them. But then the angels heard a message from their Master. Even through the sedative, he was still trying to help. The pair grinned.

"Master says he has a plan…" Lamb said. "Use the Tanngrisnir to bring in the first wave reinforcements, as soon as they become available". And then Damascus piped up.

"He says; ask for the Ghurkhas".

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Belldandy and Keiichi looked up as the Tanngrisnir emerged once more from the portal, touching down in the ruins of the city of Valhalla. The rear door dropped opened and the latest group of refugees filled out to be greeted by them.

"Put the wounded over there" Belldandy said, gesturing to the a pair of Valkyries who were being carried on stretchers by four others in only slightly better condition and then towards a building that was being used as a field hospital.

"All the children and mothers are to follow me" Keiichi said, leading the way to where they had set up a portable shelter between a set of broken pillars. It was at that moment that Skuld emerged from the rear of the plane, pulling her helmet off and running her fingers through her raven hair. She looked around and spotted Belldandy who was busy treating the injured.

"Big Sis!" she called out, hurrying over to them. Belldandy didn't look up immediately, instead concentrating on healing the injured Valkyrie. She chanted softly to herself, letting her blue healing light glow from one hand as she ran it over the surface of the Valkyrie's skin and Skuld watched in amazement as her wounds knitted back together, not even leaving a scar. Only when she was finished did Belldandy finally turn to look at her little sister, a smile playing across her lips. She looked tired but that was of no surprise; it had been a tiring few days for her, yet she was still smiling.

"Hello Skuld" she said warmly. "What brings you here?" Skuld pulled Jago's phone from her flight suit and tossed it to her.

"Big Sis, you need to make a call! It's getting really bad up there!" And she quickly explained the plan to her older sister. Belldandy listened intently, nodding her head occasionally but otherwise not saying anything.

"I've head of this plan" Belldandy said softly, "when I doing my training in the Auxiliaries. But I never thought I would live to see it happen". She paused. "You say our father has been captured but the plan has gone into effect. How is that possible? It needs the Almighty One's seal of approval before it can begin". Skuld looked down at her feet, twisting one foot in the dirt.

"Well… it turns out Lind is actually our half-sister. She's accepted the responsibility as the Almighty One as you weren't there at the time, while Urd and Hagall are sharing power in Hell". She looked up, distraught. "I'm sorry Big Sis, I should have told you sooner". But Belldandy shook her head.

"No, it's alright Skuld. Both Peorth and I already know that Lind was our sister; Valmeyar told us. She said we were to look after her as best we could and keep her from harm". She paused and nodded her head carefully. "Yes, Lind will make a good Almighty One. It will be good for their baby too". Skuld looked dumbstruck.

"You knew? And Peorth does too? Does this mean-"

"If you're going to ask if Peorth is our sister too then no she isn't. You met her parents, remember?" Skuld thought back and then wished she hadn't. Peorth's parents were almost as big kinks as she was. But then she shook her head.

"We're wondering off topic her; Titanium Rain". Belldandy paused and nodded.

"Yes, of course" she said. She clicked open the phone and glanced at the key pad. "What was the number?" Skuld told her, shocking her older sister. "HER?" she asked. "She's our spy?"

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Miss Sayoko Mishima sat quietly in her luxurious apartment, gently sipping at a glass of wine, soft music filling the air. To her annoyance, her phone startle to jingle, interrupting her thoughts and her eyebrow twitched in irritation as she flipped it open a checked the number. It wasn't one she recognised so sighed with irritation before answering.

"Hello?" she snapped.

"Hello, is that you Miss Sayoko? It's Belldandy". Sayoko looked confused.

"Belldandy? How did you get my number? And why the heck are you phoning me?"

"I'm calling you on behalf of Lady Valmeyar" Belldandy said. Sayoko was quiet for a moment.

"Valmeyar? What is it she wants?"

"She says "Titanium Rain". She then rattled off a set of coordinates relating to the location of Avalon. Silence.

"Understood". She ended the call and then dialled a new number. "Hello? Yes, this is Miss Sayoko Mishima. Put me in contact with Secretary of Defence". A few minutes later, a gruff sounding voice came through the phone as she was successfully transferred.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Mister Secretary, it's Sayoko".

"Yes, I know" he said irritably. "What is it?"

"Titanium Rain is a go". Silence.

"Roger that" the man said. "I'll contact the other commanders at once".

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In the Atlantic, the UNS Africa Mobile Sea Base cruised with the steady assurance of a continent. It might as well have been. At over a mile long and several million tons in weight, the ship was by far the largest mobile vessel ever created. And in the high tower that sat in the centre of the vast ship, flanked by two runways, they had just received a message.

"Sir" the chief communications officer said to the Captain. "We've just received a priority message from NATO".

"What is it?" the Captain said.

"They say that they have received a message from the head of the Japanese Self Defence Force. Apparently, Operation Titanium Rain is a go". The Captain paused for a second and then nodded.

"Tell them it is understood and confirmed. Tell them to patch through coordinates ASAP". He then turned to the director of flight controls. "Scramble MQ-9 and the ready-five immediately for a reconnaissance and strike mission. In the meantime, tell them to start fuelling the transports and CAS units. We're in for one Hell of a fight". The Captain turned as he finished his finished his instructions, just in time to see the MQ-9 Reaper drone rumble down the runway and off into the sky as the ready-five, the fighters which were kept fuelled and ready for a launch with five minutes of warning, rolled into launch position. It was time for battle.

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"Take care of him" Lind said as the medics gently laid Jago out on the camp bed. "He hasn't slept for four days so make sure he doesn't leave until that patch has worn off. I can't have him dying from exhaustion before our support gets here". The medics nodded as she turned away.

"We'll take care of him Almighty One. He'll be fine". Lind didn't bother to turn back around, just strode out of the field hospital and past the cordon of Specials and Trainees who formed the last line of defence around the huge tent… and straight into the middle of a battle. On all sides, goddesses, demons and Earth spirits were locked in combat with traitors and Jötunns; hacking, slashing brawling, spiting. Blades met in a flurry of thunder and spells were hurled, casting their foes aside. Less than ten paces from cordon, Lind was forced to draw Mjolnir, her broken wrist preventing her from using her halberd. It mattered little though; the hammer was more than powerful enough a weapon. With a crash, she struck down a Praetorian, crumpling her helmet under the force of the blow. Time to hold the line.

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_Deep inside his head, Jago was fuming._

_"God damn it Lind! You're gonna get your arse scragged!"_

_"Something the matter?" Jupiter asked coyly. _

_"Bugger off!" Jago's ID told him. "I don't have time for you!"_

_"Why do you hate me so?" the Opal-essence asked. "I'm as much a part of you as those Archs of yours. Why not accept me and let me help you?"_

_"You tried to kill Lind for a start" Jago said. "Why the hell should I trust you Jupiter? You have already been let out once today… I have no intention of letting you out again!"_

_"Two reasons. One; I'm more than strong enough to overcome this sedative in less than five minutes. Two; if you don't hurry up and do something, you'll be killed in your sleep, along with the rest of them"._

_"You have a good point" Jago's ID said. "But I still can't trust you"._

_"Of course you can't!" Jupiter said with more than a touch of humour. "I am a monster! An evil, uncivilised, blood-thirsty monster! But I am YOUR monster Jago". He paused and thought for a second. "I'll do you a deal; so long as you let me get blood-drunk, I promise that I won't hurt those friends of yours. Does that sound like a fair trade"._

_"Blood-drunk?" Jago asked._

_"Why yes. I wanna break some bones". He sighed. "But I won't hurt anyone on our side. I swear by… I'm not entirely sure. As an Opal-essence, there's not exactly a lot I can swear on". He paused and thought for a second. "Our daughter's life. While I would have no problem with killing Lind, I can't kill the girl. I suppose you could call it biological and spiritual imperative. Will that do?" Jago paused and nodded. _

_"Alright, deal. But try anything and-"_

_"Don't bother with threats Jago. Save it for the battlefield. Oh and do me a favour; check Damascus's spell bank. Find something that can cause some REAL damage"._

_"Ok… now get me out of here!" _

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The battle raged on. The lines seesawed back and forth as attack and counter-attack broke against one another. Beings on both sides fell by the dozen. And all the time, the allies were being driven back. Jeiko used his arm-cannon to blast a rocket out of the air and then rolled, ending up back to back with Mara as she fought, sword in hand, to drive back her own enemies.

"I never thought I would see you here!" she said snidely, hacking down her enemy.

"I would say the same!" the Earth spirit replied. His right arm morphed once more, becoming a spinning blade while he grasped his own sword in his left.

"There's no point talking to me!" the demon said gleefully. "I'm deaf! Can't hear a damn thing!" She cackled manically and then back slashed as a giant loomed large above them, taking off its right knee. Jeiko then turned and use his arm-blade to remove the monster's head.

"She's good" he muttered to himself, grudgingly. But then he grasped her by the collar and dragged her down as a ripple of machinegun fire spat past them. He then stood and jabbed both blades straight out, impaling an enemy on each side and then used his strength to hurl them both away. "But I'm better!" But for all their strength, they were outnumbered and outgunned. It was getting to be hopeless. Then Lind jumped in, smashing aside a wall of foes with her hammer before letting fly with a bolt of cold thunder that coursed through the enemy ranks.

"Get back you two! I need you alive!"

"I thought it was my job to save you from monsters" Jeiko said as he grasped Mara by the collar and dragged her away. "Remember Tobruk?" Lind spun, her eyes glowing gold and for a second, he thought she was going to attack him. But then she hurled her hammer, smashing down a giant as it went to strike him from behind. And as she caught her returning weapon, she glared at him.

"NEVER mention Tobruk to me!" she said. "I still blame you for that!" She turned away before he could reply, covering their retreat.

"That was harsh Lind" he said when they finally reached the friendly lines once more. "If I hadn't shown up then that dragon-"

"What did I just say?" she snapped. "You're a damn fool!"

"As are you!" But they stopped there as the sound of the Tanngrisnir filled the square once more. Lind snatched up a loadstone radio from a dead Valkyrie and tossed it to Jeiko.

"Make yourself useful! Tell Skuld to bomb the enemy position; one pass, haul ass!" The Earth sprit Lord nodded, finally releasing his grip on the struggling Mara who leapt back into combat and prepared to call in an airstrike. But then he saw something. He stopped and pointed to Lind.

"Look!" he said. "What's that?" Lind looked up and saw the smaller shape that was following the Tanngrisnir.

"I don't know" she said. "It looks like an aircraft".

"It is!" They both turned to see Damascus, as she drifted over. Her wrap was stained with blood and she was clutching her an enemy rifle to herself, her magic having given out completely, forcing her to take up a real weapon. But her eyes lit up as she spotted the tiny plane that was following the Tanngrisnir.

"It's the humans… a recon drone. We don't have long to wait".

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Word quickly spread amongst the ranks of the defenders and all eyes went skywards as the drone buzzed overhead, completing a circuit of Hero's Plaza. And then a cheer went up as it let fly on the enemy positions with Hellfire missiles. With renewed hope and vigour, the warriors waded into battle, driving back the enemy into pockets as the missiles rained down. But victory was short lived. A Praetorian was seen to rise from the ranks of the Jötunns and she shot skywards, her blade flashing in the sunlight. And the drone exploded as she collided with it, hacking its wing free of the fuselage.

"Well that didn't last long" Urd said grudgingly as she swung her hammer, knocking back a foul Jötunn.

"Well it could be worse" Hagall said. "At least we know that the humans are here. It won't be long now". And they were right; it wasn't long. At least, it wasn't long until disaster. A disaster that came in the shape of Frost-fiend.

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With a terrifying shriek, the Frost-fiend roared forward, blood streaming from its wounds.

"Didn't I kill you already?" Damascus asked, shouldering her stolen rifle. She fired, watching as the rounds snapped against the monster's thick hide. The beast was unperturbed however and just kept coming shredding its way through the ranks of the allied fighters. It grabbed a ten foot Jötunn by the leg and swung the screaming giant up and around, using him as a club, smashing aside all comers. Within seconds, he had breached the lines and turned back, facing the remaining fighters. But it was disappointed. Most of the Jötunns had fallen back, putting them distance between themselves and the monster. The defenders however were pretty much defeated. Anyone who had stood before the beast had been crushed or wounded. There was nobody left. Except one.

"Hello chum" Jupiter said, emerging from the field hospital. "Didn't I kill you already?"

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Lamb gave a gasp as she yanked the length of rebar from her side and then slapped a hand to the bleeding wound, instantly healing it and then looked up to see Jupiter in the middle of a battle with the Frost-fiend that had just broken its way through their ranks; a Praetorian helmet on each hand, using them as boxing gloves.

"Lamb, are you alright?" It was Lind, dragging herself across the ruins.

"Yeah… Jupiter's saved our arses again. Lind nodded as the Opal-essence talked the beast and bore it to the ground, throttling it with the fibre wire he kept in his hat. Finally, the monster stopped twitching. Lind gulped.

"This is getting real old, real fast" he said to them as he stowed his fibre wire and approached them. "If it weren't for the fact that I promised Jago personally that I wouldn't hurt you, I'd give you such a pinch Lind". He growled to himself and snarled. "As it is however, I'm gonna get blood drunk and then I have no intention of ever coming out again". He rolled his shoulders and then nodded at Lamb. "Keep her alive" was all he said. And then he shook himself, summoning his new gun-club, now modified with a handle part way down and making it a giant truncheon. "Don't worry, we'll be probably be alright". With that he took off, revolver in one hand and truncheon in the other.

"I guess we're in his debt" Lind said then glanced around as the survivors were beginning to recover. "Come on; we'd better get ready. Even Jupiter can't hold them back forever".

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"Bloody Hell" the drone operator said as they watched through the infrared camera. "It's a bloody warzone down there!" It was indeed. Shattered buildings of once shining marble were blackened by flame. The burnt out remains of a dozen armoured vehicles fill the streets below with smoke. They could see the flashes of bullets and the smoke streams of shoulder fired rockets, mixed with strange flashes of light and electricity. And they watched as the strange looking transport plane they had been following turned side on and rained down a wall of fire on one of the armies. "What do I do sir?" the operator asked the Captain, who was silent for a moment.

"Engage the same targets as the transport. They appear to be the enemy so concentrate all fire on that position.

"Roger sir; Hellfires away". With that, the drone shook as the Hellfire missiles were released, surging forward to crash into the ranks of the as yet unknown enemy. "Direct hit!" the operator said, but any elation that they had at this small victory was quickly washed away as a tiny, dark shape soared upwards, heading straight towards the drone. For a second, it looked like a missile but they soon realised that it was a _woman_, dressed in a flowing white skirt and armour, her face covered by a high peaked helmet. And they were equally shocked as this woman engaged the aircraft, hacking off one wing with a long, straight edged sword. The picture spun crazily as the drone plummeted to Earth and then the picture blacked out.

"We did just see that, right?" an officer asked, inspecting the screen. "Some chick in a medieval cosplay outfit just killed our multi-million dollar Reaper with a _sword?_"

"Yes, I think we did" the Captain said. "And now, I think it's time we got in gear". He turned across the bridge to the head of flight operations. "I want the ready-five launched NOW! Get them into radio contact with friendlies immediately and establish air superiority. And put us in contact with the nearest AWACS plane. There should still be a flight of B-1Rs in the region; have them vectored in for a bomb run. Once that space is clear, we send in the choppers. They need reinforcements ASAP".

"Roger that sir" the flight commander said. And outside, the UNS Africa's fleet of aircraft roared into life. The ready-five launched and behind them, the big transports started to lumber up and into the air. Time to unleash Hell.

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"If the Paladin's alter-ego is really that powerful, why didn't he just use him from the beginning?" That was the question that was on everyone's lips. And from the evidence, it was a good one. Jupiter was laying about himself with his club, killing five Jötunns with each swing. They couldn't understand why he had let so many die when he had the power to turn back this invasion himself. It was up to Lamb to explain it to them.

"It's true; Jupiter is formidably strong… but he would be just as at home with killing you guys as he would the enemy. The only reason that he is choosing to fight them rather than us is that there's more of them than there are of us and so he might be able to slake his lust for blood".

"Would he really do that?" a goddess asked, looking sceptical. Lamb didn't bother to answer, just crossed to her and tapped her forehead, instantly flooding her head with a memory… that of Jago's future predictions; the one of the destruction of Mombasa. The goddess staggered back with a yelp, grasping her forehead at the sudden rush of memories.

"Believe me now?" the angel asked. The goddess didn't answer; just nodded, wish dearly for some brain bleach. She was a wish granter and that level of destruction… it was something she never wanted to see again.

"Ok Lamb, I think we get the idea". It was Valmeyar who said this and they watched as Jupiter finished dispatching the latest wave Jötunns. And then he turned back to face them, after stamping his final enemy to death, slinging his truncheon across his shoulders. Slowly, he started to make his way back towards them… and the majority of them backed away. They had just seen him curb-stomp an entire Jötunn battalion on his own, so they were naturally feeling a bit nervous.

"Talk to me, not about me" he said as he approached them. Then though he saw the horrified looks and with a sigh he reverted back to being Jago.

"If you don't like what you see, that's your problem" he said. "Jupiter is just as much a part of me as Lamb and Damascus and if I hadn't used him, then you would all be dead now. If there are any complaints, I don't care anymore. It's my job to keep you alive; not be your friend". He turned to face the way that the enemy were coming, unslinging his club. "They'll be back soon and I can't pull a stunt like that twice. So I suggest you all nut up and shut up, get your arses back in line and get ready to fight for your lives". Reluctantly, the allies reformed, preparing for the final onslaught.

"That was harsh Jago" Lind said. Jago shrugged.

"I gotten to the point that I don't care. It's the straight truth; I'm not supposed to be their friend. All I'm supposed to do is keep them alive for as long as possible. If they don't like my methods, that's fine but they'd better not complain about it". He glanced upward. "Well at least the rain's stopping". He then paused and then turned to face the fearful crowd, thinking. "Look, I'm sorry. This has been one Hell of a day. I won't apologise for my actions; there's no doubting their effectiveness but I will admit that they were brutal. I can't help that… I'm a vicious bastard at heart. But this is what this situation calls for; me. Always pray for vicious bastard over a good man when it's time for to fight.

"Why's that?" someone asked.

"Because demons run when the good man goes to war" Jago said.

"Steven Moffat" Jeiko said, coming to stand beside the pair, earning him a sideways glance from Jago.

"I didn't know you knew poetry" he said absently.

"Just a little" the Earth spirit said. "And thought I'm loath to say it, we're going to need the demons as much as anyone else". Jago nodded but then paused, thinking and then turned back to the wavering army behind him. And then he asked possibly the strangest question of the day.

"Hey, who can sing?"

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"How goes the battle?" Deaderuss asked his scout. "Why has the shooting stopped? Have we defeated our foes yet?" The scout bowed her head low.

"No my Lord… the Paladin used Jupiter to drive back the last wave himself, after the Frost-fiend was defeated. However, their moral is broken and their powers are weak. One more push and we should have them". Deaderuss nodded.

"Good. It is a shame that our tanks proved so ineffective". And then he drew his short wakizashi, stabbing her in the chest. King Surtr sighed as he watched the scout collapse.

"That's the third one today" he said with distaste. "Not to mention both Angrboða and Pandora. Since you killed them , we have lost much of our tactical ability". He furrowed his brow. "If I'm honest my Lord, your own tactical skills seem to be severely lacking and perhaps it would be best if I took over command…" Deaderuss turned on the giant king, glaring.

"DO NOT forget who you are talking to, Jötunn" he hissed. "I will command this army; no other! And if you think you can take it from me…" He raised his short sword and pointed it at the Jötunn who simply folded his arms.

"I have no wish to challenge you" he said. "But at the rate you're going, you'll have killed an unnecessary number of my people. Now, I'm not squeamish about casualties but it does seem a tad unjust that your forces get preferential treatment". But by then, Deaderuss had turned away, having caught something on the wind. It was the sound of singing. And it made his blood boil.

"Those fools! They continued to mock us!" He then turned to a nearby Praetorian who cringed under his gaze. "Tell every Praetorian to take to the skies; we will destroy them from the air! And you…" he turned to Surtr, one finger raised, "I want EVERY one of your warriors on the attack NOW! We will overwhelm them in once last, glorious battle! We will make them suffer!" Surtr growled but nodded. He disagreed with Deaderuss's methods but in the end, it mattered little. Either way, this battle was now almost over.

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"OK! LET'S GIVE THIS A GO!" Jago said, raising his hands and then brought them down, the signal for everyone to start singing;

_"Swing low"_

_"Sweet chariot" _

_"Coming forth to carry me home"_

_"Swing low" _

_"Sweet chariot"_

_"Coming forth to carry me home"_

"NOT BAD!" he said. "NOW, GODS, GODDESSES AND ANGELS ONLY!" And they did, their voices sweet, high and clear.

_"I looked over Jordan"_

_"And what did I see?"_

_"Coming forth to carry me home"_

_"A band of angels"_

_"Coming after me"_

_"Coming forth to carry me home"_

"NOW THAT WAS GOOD! DEMONS AND DEVILS, CAN YOU MATCH THAT?" So they did. Their voices were deeper and less musical but they could still keep a fairly good tune.

_"If you get there"_

_"Before I do"_

_"Coming forth to carry me home"_

_"Tell all my friends"_

_"That I'm coming too"_

_"Coming forth to carry me home"_

"BEAUTIFUL! NOW, EVERYONE TOGETHER!" And so they sang. Gods, goddesses, angels, demons, devils, Earth spirits and one human; thirty thousand voices in perfect unison. It was beautiful. And when it ended, there wasn't one amongst them who wasn't moved.

"Where did you come up with something like that?" Valmeyar asked. "Nobody sings before a battle any more".

"Well this is an old fashioned war, even if not all the weapons are old fashioned" Jago said. "I thought that they could do with a moral boost as we're staring into the jaws of death. It was either that or have them stamp, beat their chests, slap on some war paint and sing "We're gonna cut your tonker off!"

"Well not a moment too soon" Jeiko said, nodding down the street they were facing. For in the distance, they could see the next Jötunn hoard. But this one was different. The advance was slow and purposeful; an advancing glacier rather than a ravening horde. And considering that these were frost giants, a glacier was a decent analogy.

"Warm up the lube, we're about to be butt-fucked" Lind said at the sight of the horde, gripping Mjolnir tightly to which Jago snorted.

"I'm sure that's one of mine" he said. "And besides, a lady shouldn't use words like that!"

"Who say's I'm a lady?" Lind asked with a smirk. "So what would you say in this situation?" Jago paused and then nodded his head.

"THOUGH WE SHALL FLY THROUGH THE VALLEY OF DEATH, _WE SHALL FEAR NO EVIL!" _he roared to a ragged cheer from the crowd. And then he paused once more, glancing along the line. Every goddess had her angel present, every demon her devil, all charging their magic for this final assault. All but Damascus. She still had the stolen rifle in hand, having long since used up all of her magic. The mightiest of spell casters, unable to practice her art. And so he sent a message to Lamb via his mind. "_Lamb, give Damascus a magic boost. And tell her to use THIS spell". _Lamb listened carefully and nodded, drifting over to her Master.

"Damascus, I'm sorry for this" she said.

"Lamb? What are you doing?" the devil asked as her doublet laid her hand on her shoulder. And then she felt the searing pain as Lamb transferred some of her near infinite strength and stamina to her… corrupting her and turning her into an angel. "WHAT THE HELL!" she hissed, her still purple eyes glaring and her now white hair crackling with energy. "WHY, I SHOULD-"

"Master wants you to perform one last spell… something that could give us the edge. If you want to complain, take it up with him, AFTER the battle. For now, just do as he asked". And with that, she told Damascus the spell that Jago had had in mind. And she nodded her head.

"Alright… for Master" said Damascus. "But I swear, once this is done and I'm back to normal, I'm gonna cover your wings in glue!"

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Jago licked his lips nervously as the Jötunns continued their advance, slow and steady as a storm. He glanced to his left; Jeiko, Urd, World of Elegance and Hagall with her devil. To his right; Valmeyar and her angel, Mara and Beautiful Chaos. And flanking him? Lamb, her sword blazing as bright as her eyes as Damascus worked her hands in the air, preparing to unleash a maelstrom on the Jötunns. The Mint Sisters, each with a magical blade in hand. And Lind. Mother of his child. Closest of friends. Together; they were his rock steady crew. And between them, they held together this army of, if not thieves and whores, when of fools and invalids. And before them was a wall of death. An unstoppable wave that would surely sweep their pitiful force from the battlefield. So he steeled himself. Time for one last shot at audacity. As the Jötunns roared, he turned to face Lind. As they started to charge, he smiled to her, earning a confused look. And then, as the two line met and he spun, bringing his club around, breaking a Jötunn apart, he asked her;

"Lind, will you marry me?"

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The two lines met with a clap of thunder, the Jötunns driving against them; a wall of blue, threatening to break the thin, multi-coloured line apart. And in the heart of the combat, surrounded by those closest to them, stood the two greatest fighters in all of creation. One was a ten dimensional projection of physical radiance, blue of hair, gold of eye and strong of mine and body, her white and blue uniform clashing with the jet black of her gifted jacket, one hand in a makeshift sling, the other clasping a battered but elegantly crafted hammer. The other could not have been more different. He towered above his lover, by a full eight inches, his form far more formidable. He was bulky, built like a coal heaver, now more muscle than fat, although not to such an extreme that every vein was pressed against the skin. He was dressed like a man who had been caught in the process of looting a charity shop in the rough end of town; blood stained jeans, a shirt that was ripped beyond all repair, a black and white jacket of hard leather and a black Stetson with the badge of a rearing, chained horse in the centre. And in his hands, he carried a truncheon crafted from the broken barrel of a tank's main gun that he swung with devastating force into the skulls of his enemies. To look at them, the wild haired, badly dressed and heavily scared human and the nubile, unsmiling Valkyrie-come-High-Lady, you would never guess that they were friends, much less lovers and the soon to be parents of a daughter. But they were. And he had just asked her to marry her. Lind's heart skipped a beat at the words and then swung Mjolnir, taking a Jötunn's head clean off.

"Marry you? Of course I will!" she said. "Should we set a date?"

"Why bother?" Jago said, knocking back a Jötunn with the flat of his club and then beating the unfortunate giant to death with it. "Marry me now!"

"Is this really the best time?" she asked sceptically as they stepped back to back and spun, with him grasping her shoulder in one hand and her striking out with her hammer as she went.

"Well we're dead anyway" he said, dropping her back to her feet after two rotations. "We might as well get it over with!" Lind paused, shattering the ribs of a Jötunn and then ducked under a scythed blade that Jago caught on his truncheon.

"Alright, let's do it!" she shouted and then brought Mjolnir down hard, striking the ground and sending out a shockwave that knocked all nearby Jötunns off of their feet. Lind spotted Valmeyar and with a grin, she called out to her; "Mother! Jago and I are getting married!"

"That's great Lind!" Valmeyar said back, through gritted teeth as she heaved a Jötunn back off of herself and then stabbed the monster in the stomach with her rapier. "We'll set a date la-"

"We're doing it now!" Lind said, head-butting an enemy in the face. "We're not going to survive long enough to set another date!" There was silence as Valmeyar considered this.

"Who's the best man? And the maid of honour?" Jago grinned and stopped, pulling his boot knife free of his right calf and hurling it at the nearest Jötunn, striking him in the eye and killing him instantly.

"Jeiko! Urd! Lind and I are getting married right now! Fancy being in on it?" The pair who stood together one cracking skulls with her hammer and the other laying about himself, his arm a mighty morning-star, with World of Elegance overhead, sending Jötunns flying with blasts of electrical energy. They all looked up at this announcement, smiling.

"Well I'm in!" Jeiko said as he cut a swath through his enemies. "It's about time that SOMEBODY married her and if not me then it might as well be you!"

"We're with him!" said Urd said, glancing up at her angel. "Who's the minister?" This made both Jago and Lind mentally pause, if not physically do so.

"I hadn't thought of that" Jago admitted.

"Maybe I can do that!" they both turned to see Weth, somehow walking, her claymore in hand and Solar Radiance close behind her, both laying waste to the Jötunns around them.

"Weth? You're walking?" Lind said, looking surprised.

"Did they fix your legs?" Jago asked, taking a Jötunn blade to the shoulder. His thick jacket absorbed the worst of the blow as he punched the giant in the chin and yanked the blade free with a grunt.

"Nope!" Weth said cheerfully, wrapping on calf with her knuckles as Solar Radiance cast an ice spell, impaling a pair of giants on razor sharp pillars of ice. "They gave me tin legs! And the stupid fools wanted me to rest! So I thought-" She stopped as she hacked down, cleaving a Jötunn in half down the middle and then cut another off at the waist.

"Bugger that for a game of soldiers?" Lamb suggested, landing beside her, clearing a great swath of giants that were surrounding them.

"Yes, something like that" she said and then looked towards Jago. "So Master? What do you say? I am your First Deputy after all!" And both Jago and Lind grinned.

"Go for it!"

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"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this goddess in holy matrimony!" Weth said, skewering a Jötunn on the end of her sword. "Do you, Lind Valmeyar-daughter, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to honour and obey, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do!" Lind said, side stepping a knife thrust that tore the front of her uniform, leaving a thin trail of bright blood. "But I want to make one thing clear; I will not obey! I the one who's in charge in this relationship! I sleep nearest to the door! (*1)"

"Works for me!" Weth said, simultaneously beheading three Jötunns with a single sweep of her blade. "Do you, Jago Finch, take this woman to be your lore fully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"Well as that's all of five minutes but even beyond that, I say I do!"

"Good! I Hereby pronounce you man and wife! You may now-" Weth stopped, blocking a blow from a Jötunn and then punched him in the face, knocking teeth flying. "You may kiss-" She stopped again, this time to back slash and dismember a foe behind her and then rolled between the legs of another, castrating him in the process with her Khyber knife. "Just kiss!" she said. And so they did. In the midst of the greatest battle in all of history, Jago kissed Lind, Lind kissed Jago and for a moment, there was complete bliss between them…

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And then they snapped back to reality, stepping apart, dragging Jago's fibre-wire between them as half a dozen Jötunns charged them. The wire pulled taught and as the giants collided with it, it took their heads clean off.

"Spin me!" Lind shouted and Jago obliged, turning hard as fast as he could as his wife clung onto the far end of the wire, using her weight to help the spinning wire cut through enemy soldiers at head height. She landed gracefully and unslung her hammer, twirling it rapidly around its grip-cord and repeatedly catching the ground with the edge, sending out a cloud of hard shrapnel that tore through her enemies. Then Jago roared past her, his truncheon in one hand and his khukuri in the other. He slung the truncheon along the length of his arm, using it as a shield to protect himself from blows as he hacked and slashed with his heavy knife, felling giants left, right and centre. Suddenly, a twenty foot chieftain loomed large above him, both arms as glittering ice blades.

"Lind!" He called out and dropped to his knees. Lind charged, using Jago's shoulder to boost herself into the air and even with one wrist broken, she grasped the hammer with both hands and brought in down hard, onto the head of the vast giant, caving in the skull. She landed and rolled gracefully to her knees as Jago stood over her, spinning himself in a tight circle, whirring his truncheon as he went, clearing a space for her around himself. Then she rose, her hammer in hand and pressed her back against Jago's. They had overextended themselves and were now surrounded.

"We appear to be at a disadvantage" she said, carefully spinning Mjolnir around her fist.

"Speak for yourself" Jago said. "I have air support!" At that moment, there was a flash of light and Lamb appeared above them, wielding her buster-sword in one hand and using the other to car sized rocks into the massed Jötunn ranks.

"Did somebody call for help?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Not at all" Jago said, tearing into the giants once more. "But it's appreciated".

"What about us then?" Spear Mint said, dropping down beside her Mistress, a burning blade in her hands. Cool Mint landed close by and tossed a loadstone radio to Jago who caught it in mid-air.

"Message from Skuld!" she said. Jago nodded and sheathed his khukuri, wielding his truncheon one handed, while using the radio with the other.

"Talk to me".

"Jago, we have air support! The humans have sent fighter jets and they're ready to come through! But there's too many to do the same thing as with the drone; they can't follow in my wake! I need someone to open a Gate for them!"

"Understood!" Jago said and turned to Lamb, just as she hurled the twins through the air and into the centre of a group of ten-footers. "Lamb! Get the Gate open! Any Gate! And put it high!" The angel nodded and shot skywards, already working to open and hack any available Gate. But as she did so, the sky darkened, as the Praetorians emerged from the roofs, filling the sky like a swarm of bats, preparing to pour death and destruction on the struggling defenders. It was time. "DAMASCUS! NOW!"

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"Come my minions, rise for your Master! Let your evil your evil rise! Fight for me, flying ever faster…" Damascus channelled her full power into the spell, surrounding herself in a wave of pale green smoke surrounded her. And as she chanted, shapes began to emerge from the smoke; tiny people, about twice the size of your hand and closely resembling their creator in appearance, except that they were the same green as the smoke and with glowing red eyes. They were imps. And they shot skywards, jabbering and shrieking, swarming all over the Praetorians; crawling inside armour and up skirts, biting and clawing at exposed flesh.

"What the Hell kind of spell was that?" Hagall demanded, using he illusion powers to convince a group of Jötunns to attack one-another.

"Ah! It's one I invented, back when I used to be in the business of nightmares. I call it Minions Assemble! Effective no?" And it was. Even as the Heavenly power drained away from her, allowing he to return to her devil form, Damascus's minions swarmed around the Praetorians, driving them from the skies. It had been part of Jupiter's plan; to take advantage of what the enemy had thought was a strength and turn it into a vulnerability, for when Yggdrasil and Nidhogg were damaged, it not only affected the loyalist forces but also the traitors, limiting the number and power of spells they were able to use. If they had access to their full power, the Praetorians would have been able to mop the floor with imps, especially if they had used Ultimate Demon Destruction. But as it was, they were unable to do more than swat ineffectively at the horrible little pests as they clawed and nipped most painfully. And then, things got even worse for them…

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With a grunt, Lamb finished her spell, drawing the Gate into existence a mile above the battlefield. It was the Death Gate and she smiled at the angel as she appeared.

"Hello there!" she said cheerfully. "Do I know you?" But Lamb simply placed a hand on her forehead, sending a wave of data surging into her. The Gate gasped and backed off a little "What was that for? That HURT!"

"I'm sorry Miss Gate" Lamb said apologetically, "but we need your help here. I promise that I'll return you to your normal state as soon as this is over".

"If you say so" the Gate muttered as Lamb inserted the key, opening her, while simultaneously sending a message to Jago. "_Master, the Gate is open! Call Skuld!" _ But she had barely finished the message when she was buffeted out of the way by the Tanngrisnir. "_SKULD!" _ she shouted mentally, about to start a rant at the young goddess but was then interrupted… by a squadron of F-22 Raptors, as they tore through the Gate at Mach 2.

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Jago paused mid-strike as the dozen Raptors roared in, their engines glowing red with full afterburner. He struck down the Jötunn he was facing and then whooped.

"Hell yeah! We have air support! F-22s up high!" He then snatched up his radio, clicking onto their channel. "Raptor, Raptor, this is Paladin, do you copy?" There was a moment of static silence and then a voice cut through, crisp and sharp.

"Roger Paladin, Pink flight copies! Give us something to shoot!" Jago grinned.

"You are free to engage all airborne targets except the Tanngrisnir! Confirm; weapons free on all bogeys except the transport plane!"

"Roger that!" With that, Pink flight spread into a combat formation, bearing down on the Praetorians. "PINK ONE, FOX TWO!" The call was repeated all along the line, as the fighters deployed their heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, sending them deep into the Praetorians, blowing them apart. And then they closed in once more. "Pink flight, this is lead. Engage targets at your discursion! You're free and hot!" With that, the jets separated, each homing in on a different target. "GUNS, GUNS, GUNS!" was the battle cry and with that, the jets went to work, burning through their foes like hot knives through butter.

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The Raptors were devastating. To look at them, you would have thought that they would struggle to fight against the Praetorians; the largest of the warriors was only a little over six feet tall, with a fifteen foot wingspan and weighing just over two-hundred pounds, whereas the each Raptor was more than sixty feet long, with a fourty-five foot wingspan and weighing nearly thirty tons. It was quickly found that the Praetorians were also faster than the Raptors in a straight line and more manoeuvrable at low speeds. However, it turned out that the Raptors could accelerate and decelerate more rapidly, allowing them to get the drop on their smaller opponents, while at high speeds, they could out-turn the Praetorians, many of whom seriously damaged their wings, trying to escape the big jets. And most crucially, the Raptors could engage at long range; something that the Praetorians were now unable to do, having used up the majority of their magic fighting the imps. And so the jets worked with brutal efficacy, their missiles and cannon cutting swathes through the enemy ranks. But on the ground, trouble was brewing.

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Jago grunted as he shoved back the Jötunn fighter before him, striking him down with his khukuri, as Lind polished him off with Mjolnir. They were falling back to where the survivors were regrouping, fighting their way through the enemy forces. Around them, the Jötunns were wavering but they were still coming and in HUGE numbers, meaning that even with the arrival of the Raptors, they were likely to soon be overwhelmed. It was time to call in some support.

"Pink flight, this is Paladin. Are you boys carrying any air-to-ground ordinance?" There was a crackle of static.

"Negative Paladin, we're loaded for air-to-air only. However, we have a couple of bomb-trucks inbound and they'll be on station in the sixty seconds. Call sign Hammer".

"Roger that". Jago pocketed his radio as Lamb crashed to the ground, unfolding her soot blackened steel wings.

"Tell those damn fools to watch their aim!" she snapped. "They almost shot me down!"

"I think that was the plan!" Damascus said snidely, helping the angel up. "You're a big enough target!" Lamb glared but Cool Mint silenced them.

"Fight enemies now, each other later!" she snapped, cleaving a Jötunn in half. Lamb nodded and brought out her heavy buster-sword, going to work with brutal efficiency as the devil shouldered her rifle once more, pouring shot into the enemy ranks.

"Everyone, form up on me!" Jago called out as they reached their own forces once more; calling them together to reinforce the cordon around the landing zone and the field hospital. They needed to be together if they were to avoid being bombed by their own side. They only needed a few more seconds and they would be safe. But then, with a grinding rumble, a building collapsed… and the two surviving Jötunn T-55s came crashing through, their main guns thumping back, spitting fire and death into the massed ranks of the allies.

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Lind groaned as she pushed herself onto her elbows, raising her head. She coughed, trying clear the smoke from her lungs and swore. This was the second time today she had been shot by a fucking tank! And then she heard Jago, talking into his radio.

"This is Paladin, enemy armour rolling in from the North! Requesting immediate airstrike on the-" But then the radio crackled loudly, as a reply cam though from the bombers.

"Negative on the airstrike! Friendly units are danger-close!"

"You need to hit them NOW!"

"Negative! We don't have a solid ID on hostile targets!" And then she saw Jago stand, reaching inside his jacket.

"Oh fuck it!" he said with resignation and with a flick of his wrist, he lit the flare and begun waving it above his head. "HAMMER FLIGHT, FIRE ON MY POSITION! LOOK FOR THE FLARE!"

"MASTER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" It was Lamb, who had said it, heaving a chunk of rubble off of herself. In the meantime, the pilot of the plane sounded confused.

"Paladin, repeat that. It sounded like you said-"

"YOU HEARD ME! DROP THE BIGGEST FUCKING BOMB YOU HAVE ON THE FLARE!" And with that, he tossed aside the radio, drawing his khukuri and started racing towards the enemy lines.

"Roger that!" the pilot said. "Airstrike is inbound!" And the ground began to shake as a pair of B-1R Lancer bombers rolled in low and fast, wings swept back in a strike position.

"NO MASTER WAIT!" Lamb called out and went to follow him but Lind talked her, bearing the angel to the ground.

"Don't be a fool! You'll be killed too!"

"Strike leader, confirm you have a visual" a voice crackled over the radio and quickly got its reply.

"Hammer One has eyes on the flare…" and then the world seemed to go silent. "Package away!"

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The ground shook with the force of the bombardment as the two heavy bombers rolled by, each dropping their full payload on top of Jago as he ran. Each plane was carrying twenty-four two-thousand pound bombs, meaning that between them, nearly a hundred-thousand pounds of ordinance were dropped onto Jago's position. The tanks were blown apart, the sheer force of the blast being enough to pressure-cook the on board ammunition, blowing them apart. As for any Jötunn who wasn't under cover; he was either torn apart by the shock of the explosion, singed by the fire, their organs liquefied by the pressure or ripped asunder by shrapnel, turning the once beautiful street into a charnel house of broken bodies, ruined masonry and burning ruin.

"Target destroyed". That was all the bomber pilots said, even as Lamb finally managed to wrestle Lind off of her and started running towards the wreckage. Damascus joined her and as a three, they headed out in search of Jago.

"MASTER! MASTER! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"JAGO!" Lind looked around desperately. And she felt tears come to her eyes. She bit her knuckle, trying to hold back a sob. She knew that he was dead this time. Nothing could survive an airstrike like that. Not even Jago! He was dead! DEAD! DEA-

"Did somebody say my name?" The trio turned to see Jago as he calmly rolled out from under the shattered tank, brushing himself off.

"MASTER!" He was tackled by his Archs he bore him to the ground. Holding him tight, they began to berate him.

"Why did you do that?" Lamb hissed.

"We can't afford to lose you Master! What would we do if you had really been killed?"

"I'm sorry girls" he said. "But I needed to do something. I couldn't just sit back and watch you all get slaughtered". He hugged them tight and whispered his apologies as Lind looked on, her face set as stern as stone and her arms crossed across her chest until he was finally allowed back onto his feet.

"That was both incredibly brave and EXTREMELY stupid" she said to him. "I honestly don't know whether to kiss you for saving us or punch you for nearly getting yourself killed". Jago gave a sheepish smile.

"I know which I would prefer" he said.

"Oh, I bet you would" Lind said. "So… I'm gonna do both!" And with the speed of a tiger-snake, her fist shot forward, punching Jago in the face, dislocating his jaw AGAIN. She waited for him to snap his jaw back into place and then pulled him close, kissing him passionately on the lips. It was several minutes before she released him with a gasp and then smiled shyly as she pulled him close. "Don't worry me like that! We've not been married for long enough for me to be a widow!"

"I'll try" Jago said sheepishly, pulling her into a tight bear hug and gently running a hand through her hair. "No promises though… if you wanted a peaceful like, then you should have married Keiichi".

"Not a chance!" Lind said with a snort and then she took a step back, flashing Jago her special smile; the one that lit up her whole face like a pinball machine rewarding a bonus game. "Belldandy would eat me for breakfast… sister and Almighty One or not!" And they both laughed, turning hand in hand and heading back towards their lines.

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The survivors were beginning to recover as the Almighty One and the Paladin returned, hand in hand.

"Alright, who's alive?" Jago called out.

"I am!" They turned to see Weth and Solar Radiance as they struggled to reattach Weth's metal leg.

"Good, good! Who else?"

"Well I'm still here!" Jeiko said, heaving himself up, as Urd used him for support.

"Me too" she said. "But I have to say Jago, that was bloody stupid!"

"So I've been told" Jago said and then paused. "Anyone got a radio?"

"I do!" It was Hagall who answered, tossing the device to him. He caught it and clicked the switch.

"Hammer flight, this is Paladin. You are free to return to base. On the way though, provide coordinates for further support. This battle is far from over and we're gonna need all the support we can get!"

"Roger that Paladin" Hammer One said. "Best of luck". Jago clicked off his radio and then grinned around at the gods and demons who surrounded him.

"Looks like we made it!" he said. "But this battle is far from over!" And her gestured back beyond the devastation caused by the Lancer bombers, to where the Jötunns were already building up once more. "Form up on me!"

"But we're exhausted!" a Special complained. "We've been fighting all day!"

"Stop moaning!" Lind said, looking furious. "How do you think Jago feels? He just had an _airstrike _dropped on his head!"

"Aye" said Jago. "Now all you moaners hush up! You're in the army now!" And he grinned as he turned back to face the Jötunns. But then he turned back. There were more engines. Not the shriek of the Raptors as they continued to tear apart the Praetorians, nor the deep growl of the bombers as they fled the battle. No, this was the throaty "whup, whup" of rotors. Helicopters. Dozens of them. The ground troops had arrived.

*1 In any relationship, any easy way of finding the dominant one is the one who sleeps nearest the door. It's a caveman thing; RAAAH! Me sleep nearest door! Me in charge! Me fight lion when come in cave!

**Authors Note: Well that's that then! Titanium rain has come! Sorry I couldn't bring in Street-fighter yet but you'll find out who (or what) it is next chapter! Oh and I have a note for you; thanks for the two-thousand hits! You guys are awesome! Especially as this is now the FOURTH longest AMG fic that has ever been done!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

**Thunder Run with Street-fighter**

The first helicopters though were a pair of Russian gunships; Mi-24 Hinds. They were old gunships, heavily armed and armoured, with heavy machineguns and more rockets than could possibly be healthy. They roared in low, strafing the Jötunns with a barrage of fire, sending their new attack reeling back before it had even begun. Next came a quartet of Apaches, which hovered protectively above the battlefield, firing off missiles, rockets and cannon shells, like a flight of avenging angels. And then came the Chinook transport, sporting RAF colours.

"To ground force commander, this is Bravo November" the pilot called out over the radio. "Where do you want me to set her down?"

"Over on the left" Jago called out. "By the transport plane".

"Roger that". The big helicopter roared in low, its twin rotors kicking up clouds of dust and whipping the skirts and robes of anyone nearby as the door mounted mini-guns blazed fire into nearby buildings, clearing them of Jötunn soldiers.

"Is that big "BN" on the front of the thing something to do with the name?" Lind asked, shouting above the roar of Chinook's engines.

"Yep… Bravo November got its name from its designation. But mostly they call her "Survivor"… she was the RAF Chinook to survive the Falklands and she was safely piloted home from a rescue mission in Afghanistan after her pilot was shot in the head". And at that moment, the helicopter touched down and the soldiers began to disembark. And Jago grinned. "Ah Hell yes! We've got Ghurkhas!"

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Ghurkhas. Pound for pound, the toughest warriors in all of the world. Tiny but fearless and deadly in combat. And they had fifty of them.

"Who's in charge?" the Lieutenant in charge demanded. Lind and Jago glanced at each other.

"We are" Jago said.

"What?" the Lieutenant asked, confused. "I thought this was a military operation?"

"I am military" Lind said. "Just not one you're familiar with. And as it is, I outrank you; I'm a Captain". The Lieutenant looked sceptical but nodded.

"Very well" he said. "Where do you want us?" It was then that Jago stepped up, holding down his Stetson as Bravo November roared back into the air, winging its way back towards the portal, clearing a space for the next aircraft to land, its  
belly full of refugees.

"Ok boys, we want you on either side of THAT street" he said, pointing towards the road that was still under Jötunn control. "Set up machinegun teams on the top floors of the buildings, with supporting rifle squads alongside… and you'd better attach your anti-armour teams to them as well. The enemy have armour so be ready with your LAWs". The Lieutenant nodded and gestured for his soldiers to advance. With a shout, the Ghurkhas unslung their rifles and filed away towards the indicated buildings as Jago nodded at the commander.

"Are you in charge of the soldiers here boy?" the Ghurkha asked.

"Technically no but I have been holding this place's defences together as well as I can".

"You have any combat experience?" Jago shrugged.

"Killed a few guys today and I've done some street fighting. Oh and I set fire to a T-55 with a Molotov".

"Yet you carry a khukuri?"

"Aye that I do". He raised his arm and rolled back his sleeve, revealing his draw-scars. "I may not be a Ghurkha but it doesn't mean I'm a coward". The Lieutenant nodded respectfully.

"I see… but why should I trust my men to your command? You said so yourself; you have little experience".

"Like I said, I've held this plaza for hours with an army of militia, with NO guns. Give me some credit". Then he paused and his eyes rolled back as he sent a mental message. "Plus there's her".

"Her who?" The soldier felt a tap on his shoulder and suddenly spun, drawing his own khukuri and slicing with it, only for it ring against Lamb's sword with a clash of steel.

"Her her" Jago said as Lamb took a step back, still holding her sword, as the Ghurkha stared wide eyed at her… and particularly at her wings.

"What kind of devilry is this?" he demanded.

"I think I had better fill you in" Lind said. "Jago, you can keep organising the reinforcements right?" She nodded skywards as a pair of French Puma helicopters rolled and started to make their decent.

"I'll do what I can. I'll send the commanders to see you as soon as their forces are deployed". Lind nodded and led the still stunned Ghurkha away. It was then that the helicopters touched down and a French Colonel emerged, calling to his troops as they disembarked.

"SOLDIERS! ASSUME COMBAT FORMATION UNE!"

"WE SURRENDER!" the soldiers called out, throwing down their guns and throwing their hands in the air, much to the dismay of their Colonel.

"Not that one, you idiots!"

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Lieutenant Vayrag growled to herself as she glanced from behind the pile of rubble that she and her fighters, ten Valkyries, twelve Auxiliaries and seven Specials, all taking cover behind a mound of rubble. Less than fifty feet away, a Jötunn unit had taken cover inside a burnt-out building, preventing them from advancing with a constant stream of inaccurate but massed rifle fire and rocket launches.

"Dammit!" she hissed. "How are we supposed to be clear them out of there if we can't get close?"

"What's the situation?" She turned to see who had asked her this and was surprised to tiny human in green and brown combat gear, crouching beside her.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Sergeant Tam-Song, Royal Ghurkha Rifles" he said. "These are my men". Vayrag glanced behind him and was surprised to see a dozen hard faced Ghurkhas crouching nearby, each clasping a rifle in his hands. "We're here to reinforce you and when I asked, they said you were in charge of this unit. So, what is the situation?" Vayrag was silent for a moment but then she came to her senses.

"We need to clear these buildings before we can set up a defence line to receive the next wave but we can't get close enough to do anything about it... we're basically just waiting for them to run out of ammunition before we charge them".

"I thought you and your friends were supposed to be some kind of goddesses, with mystical powers and stuff?" Vayrag nodded, frowning.

"Our magic is limited at the moment; the system we rely on is damaged to the point that we're unable to recharge. We basically running on fumes until we can get it repaired. For now though, we need to concentrate on taking this building". The Sergeant nodded and glanced over the top of the rubble pile, spotting a pair of Jötunns who were stood outside blazing away with rifle fire.

"How many inside?" he asked.

"At least ten we think, plus the two out here. They're also in the other building just across the street but we can't tell in what numbers". Sergeant Tam-Song nodded and called out to his unit. He spoke in rapid Nepalese, to which his soldiers replied with rapid nods and affirmative grunts. Four of them took up position beside him; three riflemen and one with a squadron automatic in his arms. The men took up position as the Sergeant slung his rifle across his back and unsheathed his khukuri, copied by most of the eight remaining soldiers. Only two retained their rifles, opting instead to slot bayonets directly below the barrels of their guns. And then the four who had moved forward opened fire, pouring suppressive fire into the building.

"AYO GORKHALI!" Tam-Song shouted and he leapt to his feet, charging towards the building, bellowing as he went. Close behind him, his men followed, all screaming their Ghurkha's battle-cry, their khukuris flashing in the sun. Tam-Song charged the nearest Jötunn, roundhouse kicking him in the head and then beheading the giant with his heavy knife while beside him, one of the rifle armed soldiers attacked the second Jötunn. The giant swung for him but the Ghurkha side-stepped and thrust his bayonet into the monster's chest, rapidly pumping the trigger, emptying rounds into the beast's chest. While this was going on, one of the soldiers pulled the pin from a grenade and rolled it through the open door, to explode just inside. The Ghurkhas then surged inside and the sound of fighting echoed from inside as they set to work clearing the building. There were several minutes of shouting, which ended abruptly as a Jötunn came crashing down from an upstairs window, to land in a broken heap outside. A radio of one of the fire team crackled and he answered, nodding his head.

"Boss say the building's clear" he said to Vayrag. "We going in now. You wait here".

"Wait, what about the other one?" she demanded. "You can't just leave it!"

"Not enough men to clear that one AND hold this one. Don't worry, armour on the way!" And he pointed back behind them to where the first of the monstrous tank transporters began to arrive, escorted by a multi-national fleet of fighter jets. "We clear in a minute. For now, we set up base. Make tea! Wait for tanks!"

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The transports were V-660 Whirlwinds; C-17 Globemasters which had been modified in a similar way as the Tanngrisnir, with engines located on each corner. However, unlike the normal C-17, the engines weren't jets but turboprops, each with four massive blades, giving it an overall view very similar to Jago's V-120 Valkyrie. The main difference between the two was size; the Whirlwinds were nearly twice the size and three times the weight of the Tanngrisnir, allowing them to carry considerably more cargo. This was dramatically demonstrated when the first plane landed and the nose rose skywards, allowing the seventy-five ton tank inside to roll on out. The tank itself was a British Challenger 2, the toughest tank in the world, with the most powerful gun and accurate gun ever fitted to a tank. And it was made extra tough by the addition of a Street-fighter TUSK kit (*1), rendering it virtually indestructible. The tanks rumbled down the ramp of the aircraft, clearing the path for the evacuees who could now be loaded on-board. Jago waved to the tank and the top hatches popped open, as both the Commander and Operator emerged.

"You in charge laddie?" the commander demanded in a thick Scottish accent.

"Aye" Jago said. "It's good to have you boys here; we've been needing some serious firepower". He turned and gestured towards the street that the Ghurkhas were helping to secure. "They need fire support down there" he said. "Think you boys can manage that".

"We're on it" the Commander said as his Operator closed down his hatch once more.

"Good. What's your call-sign?"

"They call us Street-fighter" the Commander replied, buttoning down his own hatch.

"Figures" Jago said as the tank's engine roared and thick smoke filled the plaza. At least now though, they finally had some of their much needed support. It was time to kick arse!

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Vayrag looked up in surprise as Street-fighter rolled to a halt just behind her, the top hatching popping open.

"Hey there" the Commander said. "I hear you have something for us to shoot". Vayrag nodded and pointed down the street.

"That building is overrun with enemies; we need someone to clear it for us".

"On it" the Commander said, closing down the hatch once more. With that, the tank rumbled forward, tracks grinding in the dust. Bullets started to dance across the thickly armoured hull of the vehicle as every Jötunn soldier turned his weapon upon the advancing vehicle. The tank returned fire, spraying the building with its remote-controlled .50 calibre machinegun, the heavy rounds punching clean through the marble façade. It stopped just short of the building and the big gun slewed sideways, training on the upper floors… but then the trap was sprung as from the building opposite, a pair of Jötunns appeared with RPGs and they launched the weapons, striking the tank and causing it to disappear in a cloud of smoke and flame.

"Well that was a waste of time" Vayrag said.

"They're fine" one of the Ghurkhas who was still beside her said. "You can't kill a Challenger with an RPG, you just piss it off!" And true to his word, as the smoke cleared, the tank emerged unscathed, aside for some cosmetic damage to the side and top of the turret. And if was possible for an inanimate object to express emotions, it would have looked ANGRY.

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"Gunner! HESH round! RPG, second floor, three story house on the right!" The Commander barked his orders with ruthless efficacy as the Operator started to load the fifty pound High Explosive Squash Head round into the breach of the gun.

"Roger!" the Gunner called out, slewing the turret around, fixing the two astonished Jötunns in his sights.

"HESH round up!" the Operator shouted.

"FIRE!" the Commander shouted and the Gunner grinned.

"On the way!" he depressed the fire button, waited a second for the fire control computer to finish its calculation and then the whole tank shook as the big gun thumped back, blowing the top floor clean off of the building.

"Put another round on target!" the Commander barked and then waited for the Operator to finish ramming the next shell home.

"HESH round up!"

"FIRE!"

"On the way!" The big gun boomed once more and this time, the entire building collapsed as the squash-head warhead shattered the building's foundations, sending the entire edifice crumbling to the floor. "Target down!" the Gunner shouted triumphantly.

"Confirmed" the Commander said. "Gunner! HESH round! Infantry, ground floor, three story house on the left.

"Roger, engaging with co-ax" the Gunner said as the turret slewed round again, raking the building with the coaxial chain-gun as the Operator rammed a third shell home.

"HESH round up!"

"FIRE!"

"On the way!"

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Hero's Plaza echoed with the deep boom of Street-fighter's gun as it worked to clear the Jötunn held buildings and for the survivors of the allied force, there could have been no greater morale booster than this heavily armoured vehicle with a big gun on top. Overhead, fighters and bombers from a dozen nations continued their relentless onslaught. French Rafales flew alongside Chinese J-10s and German Tornadoes roared into battle alongside Russian Flanker jets. And the same was true for helicopters; Havoc gunships, Pave Low search and rescue birds, Little Bird special forces choppers and Chinook transports, all working in concert to bring in reinforcements and evacuate the remaining gods and demons. They didn't have it all their own way; they were losing aircraft at a phenomenal rate. During one mission, a flight of eight F/A-18 Super Hornets rolled in low over the city, preparing for a fast strike on a concentration of Jötunn anti-aircraft guns, when they were ambushed from behind. The first they knew of it, Tail-End Charley, the unofficial name they gave the last plane in the flight, was suddenly hit from behind. The pilot gave a shout and glanced behind himself to see a Praetorian who was in the process of tearing the vertical stabilisers from the rear of his plane, with a second one close behind. The poor man didn't have time to react, just shout a strangled warning before his plane spun onto its back and dropped, colliding with a building bellow. The two the screamed in, one hurling a series of fireballs that struck a second Hornet, burning through the wings and fuselage and tearing the jet apart. Meanwhile, her companion attacked a jet further up the flight and stuck the plane with her sabre, severing one wing and sending the plane spinning down. Worse, chunks of debris from the damaged aircraft came roaring back and struck the plane directly behind, being sucked deep into the twin engine intakes and shredding the delicate fans within, causing an instant flame-out, exploding the entire rear of the plane. But by now, the remaining Hornets had jettisoned their payload and had switched to an air-to-air configuration. So as the lead Praetorian dived on her next target, she flew right into the sights of its wingman.

"Two's got a lock!" the pilot shouted as the high pitched shriek of a full AMRAAM lock blared in her head-set.

"Pop that guy!" her wingman shouted and she squeezed the trigger. The missile shot from the rack and while it actually missed, the weapon's proximity fuse deployed, detonating the missile like a giant shotgun blast and tearing the Praetorian apart. Her comrade screamed in rage and dived on the offending plane, swiping at it. The plane side-slipped and she shot past, directly into the path of the two other planes in the flight, who unceremoniously hosed her down with cannon fire. Then the four remaining jets turned back around, heading back to base to rearm. They still had a strike to perform and they needed ordinance in order to pull it off.

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"QUICK! INSIDE HERE!" Saga shouted above the sound of the rifle fire. She held the door open as Chrono and Eir raced inside, waving them in with her bloodied cutlass. Then she turned to see Bob still involved in a running battle with the Jötunns who were following them.

"COME ON! COME AND GET ME!" he shouted, unloading a barrage of shotgun shells down the corridor towards the giants, dropping a few of them. He ducked for cover and rolled as they returned in kind, bullets filling the corridor with a maelstrom of shot as he quietly started jamming shells into the breach of his gun. He cocked the gun and stood, preparing to fire once more but was suddenly face with an eight-foot Jötunn who roared down at him and then struck down with its knife. Bob dodged the attack, clubbing the giant in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking teeth flying. He then stabbed it in the chest and pulled the trigger once, killing it instantly.

"BOB! GET OUT OF THERE YOU LUNATIC!" Saga shouted and he turned, racing towards her and then dived into the room as she pulled the door closed behind them.

"What a rush!" he said as she glared down at him. "We've gotta do this again sometime!"

"Thanks but no thanks!" Eir said, clasping a hand to her bleeding thigh. "Chrono, could you give me a hand?" The young Valkyrie nodded and knelt beside her, giving Bob a pointed look so that he would turn away. She then used her knife to slit the thigh of the other goddess's tights, exposing the wound.

"So where are we?" Bob asked Saga as Eir began to whimper, with Chrono forcing a pair of pliers deep into the wound.

"We appear to be in one of the council chambers" Saga said. "Or more specifically, in one of the boxes above the chamber. I couldn't tell you which one though".

"Oh sweet Jesus this hurts!" Eir said, thumping her fist against the ground.

"Man up" Chrono told her. "I've almost got it but I've gotta be careful not to nick an artery here. Just give me… one… more… second… got it!" With a final tug she pulled the bullet from her friend's leg, which gave a little jet of blood as she gave a quiet sob. "You're lucky" Chrono said. "A few more millimetres and it would have severed the femoral artery and you'd have been dead within minutes. As it is, I've got most of the bullet but-"

"What do you mean MOST?" Eir demanded, tearing a strip of fabric from her uniform and using it to bandage the wound.

"I couldn't get all of it" Chrono admitted. "There were a few shards that were too deep. I'd so more damage removing them than by just leaving there. For now, we're just gonna stitch you up and get you back into action. If you want, you can have them removed once we get back to the plaza".

"Err… guys?" Saga said. They all looked up and saw that she had cross the balcony to lean against the banister. And she was looking down. "You might wanna see this". Slowly, the other three joined her and what they saw below them was astonishing. The floor of the chamber was packed with Jötunns; thousands of them. But more important was what was located in the middle of the horde.

"Does anyone have a radio?" Bob asked in a quiet voice. "I think my brother needs to know about this". Silently and without looking up, Chrono fished inside her uniform and pulled out a loadstone radio, gently handing it to him. Their hands brushed together for a second and at any other time, Bob would have relished the contact but right now, he was too terrified. Quietly, he selected the right channel and then clicked it on. "Jago, it's Bob. We have a problem here…"

8888

"Alright, we need to redeploy" Jago said, kneeling beside the map, tapping several points with his finger. "I just received word that the Jötunns are trying to some over the barricades so I need you guys to help hold the line there". The officers around him nodded, each confident in their own abilities. "Right, we have the Challenger and the pair of T-90s the Russians sent. What other vehicles do we have?"

"Approximately thirty armoured Humvees from various nations, all with .50 machineguns" said the commander of the American Marine Corp unit. "Our boys have also brought four LAV-25s for light armour support".

"We have some M-60 Patton tanks on the way" the Bosnian commander said. "All with ERA protection".

"We have some Marder APCs" said the German. "That and a Leopard 2A6".

"Right" said Jago. "That gives me something to work with". He paused and tapped the map. "Right, we're gonna set up some defence lines on the far side of the barricades. We put armour on the far side, with the infantry on top of the walls and in the buildings on either side. If we set up overlapping lines of fire from there, we can hold the Jötunns, stop them from breaking through and redirect them to the open street where we can pound them from the air". He glanced towards the Air Force liaison officer. "How long until the BUFFS arrive?"

"B-52s will be on station within the hour". He glanced at Lind who was knelt beside Jago. "As overall commander Captain, it is also my duty to inform you that we have a strike aircraft waiting on your strike order for Stage Three of the operation and as requested by Lady Valmeyar, we have hot-loaded a twenty megaton nuclear weapon in preparation for Hammer Down".

"I understand" Lind said. "But I want it noted that I WILL NOT allow a nuke to be detonated in Heaven. Tell the strike aircraft to stand down at once; if we are to flatten the city, we will use conventional weapons".

"But Captain, judging from what our aircraft are telling us, a nuclear strike may be the only option with the numbers we're facing, especially if they try follow us back through the portal". He gestured to the distant form of the Gate as the latest unit arrived; South African Gripen fighters that immediately started salvoing off their radar guided missiles. "Our fighters are already running low on ordinance and-"

"I'm not shifting on this point" Lind said. "No matter what my mother has ordered, there will be NO nuke in my city!" Her eyes flashed gold to emphasise her point and the officer gulped, nodding.

"Well in the meantime, let's see about setting up these defence lines while we continue the evacuation" Jago said. "Now, I want the T-90s here…" he pointed at one of the barricades on the map, "to block the street. Tell them to load as many HE and flechette rounds as they can carry. In the meantime, I want the-". He suddenly stopped as his radio crackled.

"Jago, it's Bob. We have a problem here". Jago paused and nodded to the human commanders.

"Sorry mates, I gotta take this". He clicked the radio and turned away, putting some distance between himself and them.

"He seems competent" one of them said. "But can we really trust the judgement of a twenty year old boy with almost no combat experience?"

"I trust him" Lind said. "He's steered us right so far".

"To be fair, you look like you're a twenty-two girl. Now I know you say that you're technically God but you don't look like any God I know and-"Lind's eyes flashed and then, on a whim, she sent the man a mental image of her true form, making him cry out in pain and shock, wishing for some brain bleach.

"What you just saw was what I really am" she said, calmly but firmly. "We're ten dimensional being of, as far as you are concerned, near unlimited power. Personally, I'm a soldier by trade; a Valkyrie. The most senior of my unit. In age, I'm one-hundred and three million, seven-hundred and fourty-five thousand, three-hundred and seventeen years and two-hundred and six days old, of which, I've been Heaven's top warrior for most of that time, with the power to shatter the surface of the Earth with a snap of my fingers. I can project the physical manifestation of my soul…" At this moment, the Mint Sisters arrived, their swords bloody from battle, looking extremely tired, "and I'm… I'm not sure, about five months pregnant, with that man's daughter. Now, if I say we trust him, I suggest that you listen. Understand?" The collected officers nodded. "Good". It was at that moment that Jago returned, his face grim. "So? What did Bob have to say?" Jago shook his head.

"He and the girls have found the way that the enemy reinforcements are getting in".

"Well that's great" one man said. "In that case, why don't we-"

"They're using the Bifrost Gate as a portal from Jötunnheim to here… and it's right in the heart of the central palace". There was silence.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" a Dutchmen asked.

"it means that we have to go in there and rescue her" Lind said. "Where is she?"

"She? This Gate is a she?"

"All mystical Gates are sentient beings" Lind said. "And they're all female in appearance. But Jago hasn't answered my question; where is she being held?"

"The council chambers. The one where I went for the inauguration". Lind swore. It was deep inside the Praetorian barracks, in the heart of the palace. To save her would have to be a major operation.

"Well… that's put a bilgesnipe up the back passage".

"What?" This one was unanimous; even Jago looked confused.

"A bilgesnipe" Lind said again. "You know; huge, scaly, big antlers". She put a hand on her head, mimicking an antler. "Don't you have those on Earth?"

"Not last time I checked" Jago said. "But I appreciate the sentiment. Getting to Bifrost is gonna be a total clusterfuck". Lind nodded a t which point Jago started pacing back and forth. "In that case, I think we're gonna need to pull of some audacious…"

"That you do Jago". They all turned to see someone emerging from the field hospital in a worn surgical gown. She looked deathly pale but she also looked like she was in the mood to tear someone apart with her bare hands. Kayrune.

"It's good to see you up and about Captain" Lind said.

"It's good to see you too Lind" said Kayrune with a nod. "But it looks like I caught you all just in time".

"Why's that?" Kayrune shook her head and turned to face Jago.

"Paladin, that angel of your about?"

"Present" Lamb said, landing close beside them. She had just been on a recon mission for an airstrike and so, had only just got back.

"Lamb, do you remember why Deaderuss tried to kill you?" Lamb looked confused.

"It was to stop myself and my Mistress from warning the Almighty One about him and the coup… and trying to bring back Kronos". Kayrune nodded but she didn't seem satisfied.

"That's only about half of it. Do you remember anything else?" Lamb shook her head at which point Kayrune sighed. "Think about it… as soon as they became aware that you, Jago and Damascus were a threat to themselves still, they tried to have you assassinated once more, while simultaneously kidnapping Bifrost. Bifrost is the reason that you were attacked Lamb; by taking her, they isolated us from the Earth and limited the amount of energy we could bring into Heaven. The only reason that they have been able to keep Yggdrasil working is that they have been using the information that you and your Mistress gathered to hack other Gates and keep the supply of wishes running. And when the coup came, they reckoned that you would be the only one who could stop them from bringing in their own reinforcements".

"Wait a minute, you're saying that the reason that Lamb's Mistress was attacked in the first place was that she could hack Gates?"

"The only one who could hack ANY Gate and use it for ANY purpose, yes. I learned this from a Jötunn during my last mission". She turned back to Lamb. "You're the lynchpin Lamb. Only you had the power to bring reinforcements here. And only you have the power to stop the tide that is bearing down on us. It is why you nearly died. And it is why you must now fight. You're the only one who can stop them".

8888

Lamb gave a tiny gasp that was the only sign of the massive internal conflict that was going on inside. You see, what Kayrune had just told her had unlocked her memories. ALL of her memories. She could remember every moment, from her hatching to her naming and everything between and beyond. She could remember… every person she had ever killed. The minute expressions on their faces that revealed their true natures to her, in a way that not even their closest friends or most intimate lovers could possibly understand. She could remember…

8888

Lamb shook herself and then slapped her cheek, hard.

"Pull yourself together!" she hissed and then turned to Jago. "She's telling the truth Master".

"I know" he said simply. "You got your memory back". Lamb nodded.

"All it took was that little bit extra and I managed to overcome the mind-block. And you'll have to excuse me if later on I go and have a nervous breakdown. I may remember now but there are some things I didn't _WANT _to remember". _Those faces…_

"I understand Lamb".

"Good. But now, I think we need to think about other things… we need to organise a rescue party for Bifrost".

"Agreed".

8888

"What is that weird angel chick sating to that guy?" one of the soldiers asked, leaning close to the man beside him.

"She's had her memories sealed ever since Jago ended up with her" Lind said. "And being reminded of the reason for her original Mistress's assassination has restored them to her. Now though, it looks like they're ready to go to work".

"Right, here's the plan" Jago said, turning away from Lamb to face the rest of them. "We need to rescue the Bifrost Gate and bring her back here. With her out of the equation, the enemy will be unable to bring in any more reinforcements and we can either choose to hold here or evacuate, depending on the situation. For now though, we need to organise a Thunder Run on the central palace". Stooped and gestured at each of the barricades in turn. "I want the T-90s here, the Pattons here and the Marders here. We keep the Leopard twelve Humvees. I also want four Humvees supporting each of the barricades with HMG fire. I leave the infantry to deploy themselves as they see fit. As for the rest of us… I want the LAVs and the six remaining Humvees fully loaded with fuel and ammo. We're going to fight our way to the central palace and rescue that Gate, even if it kills us". Someone cleared his throat.

"Excuse me but didn't someone say that there are possibly still tanks out there? LAVs aren't going to be much good against something like that".

"Well that's why we use the heaviest piece of armour we have to clear us a path". And Jago turned, pointing towards the barricaded street. "We're taking Street-fighter with us. That tank is going to clear the way and get us there in one piece. Now, how long till we can get this convoy organised?" The Marine Corp commander shrugged.

"Give us an hour".

"You've got five minutes".

8888

The Jötunn's roared as they scrambled up the barricade, clambering hand over hand to get to the top of the wall. They were coming in from all sides, ready to pour over the top and down into the vulnerable flanks and rear of the allies and the new human arrivals. The human aircraft roared in low and did what they could to hold back the attack but the Jötunns were too fast and too many. They would overwhelm the line here and now! But as they stuck their heads over the top of the barricade, they were met by a challenging roar and then the Jötunn started screaming as the Russian T-90M tanks came roaring over the top of the wall. Both tanks gunned their engines and they performed their most famous trick; leaping into the air and firing their main guns simultaneously before crashing down, crushing their enemies beneath their fourty ton tracks. As they rolled down the far side of the slopes and the Commanders raked the slopes around them with their heavy machineguns, clearing them of enemy soldiers. The tanks then grinded to a halt and started pouring shot into the Jötunns in front of them as the four Humvees that were accompanying them rolled to a stop on top of the mound, unloading the soldiers who were on-board who moved to set up their own defence lines across the top of the barricade.

"Ok, we hold here!" the Canadian Sergeant said, cocking his rifle. "Controlled bursts of fire; conserve you ammo. But keep those things away from the tanks!" He cocked his rifle and fired, dropping a Jötunn soldier. The clatter of small arms quickly filled the street, backed up by the deep thump of the .50 calibre machineguns on the trucks and then occasionally drowned out by roar of the tanks below them as they unloaded another heavy gun shell into the enemy forces. The line had been drawn. And now it was time to hold it.

8888

"I need ten volunteers!" Jago called out. "Valkyries and Niflguard only". One of the Valkyries in the little group he was addressing stood and bowed her head to him.

"What do you need sir?"

"I'm setting up a Thunder Run to rescue the Bifrost Gate. We have enough armour to break through; I just need some melee fighters to back us up. Now I must warn you, we're all probably gonna get our arses served up on a silver platter but…" The Valkyrie nodded, gripping her poleaxe.

"Alright, I'm with you". A handful of her companions joined her, bringing the total to six Valkyries and four Niflguard.

"Good on you" Jago said and then pointed back over his shoulder to where the convoy was arming up. "One of you in each vehicle. I just got to make a few arrangements and then we'll be on our way". The little group nodded and filed away as Jago went in search of Jeiko who was busy reorganising the remaining Earth spirits so that they could be deployed to support the defence lines. "Jeiko, I need you with me". The Earth spirit General paused, nodding to his soldiers to send them away.

"What's going on?" he asked. "I heard you were setting up for some kind of raid into enemy territory using some of the human vehicles?"

"We're located Bifrost" Jago said. "We're going to get her back". Jeiko looked shocked.

"Bifrost? She's here?"

"She's been hacked and they're using her to bring their reinforcements into the city. I thought that as Heimdall made you her Guardian-"

"Where do you want me?" he demanded. "I'm coming whether you want me or not".

"I was going to say, I want you with us. I think we're gonna need your skills when we get there; that place is probably swarming with all kinds of nasties and if anyone is going to get her out of there, it should probably be you, once Lamb's deactivated her. As to where we want you, I want you to ride in the second vehicle in the convoy; one of the LAVs". Jeiko nodded.

"Alright, I'm on it". Then he paused. "Where are you riding?" Jago shrugged.

"Once I track down Damascus, I'm mounting up on the front vehicle".

"The tank? There are only four seats in that thing aren't there?" Jago nodded.

"Yep… I'm riding on the damn roof. Some bugger's got to keep the bastards off them… we're gonna have problems with corners, especially with that big gun…"

8888

Damascus rolled her shoulders slightly, twitching her wings to relieve some of the pain in her tired muscles. She had been working in the field hospital ever since she had helped to turn back the Praetorian attack, doing what she could for the injured. It was difficult, being almost completely out of magic by this point but she still had the power to redirect the magic of others and use it to heal them. She sighed a little as a medic brought in a weeping child, followed by a worried looking mother.

"I thought all of the children had been evacuated" she said as the medic placed the child on the table.

"Most were…" the medic said, "but she and her mother were trapped behind enemy lines. They were just rescued from a Jötunn unit by a Valkyrie team who were knocking out anti-aircraft guns. I would have put them straight onto a transport but the girl has been injured during the escape. Can you see to her?" Damascus sighed and nodded as the medic turned away.

"Can you help her?" the girl's mother asked, glancing at Damascus's fangs. The devil caught the look but decided to ignore it.

"Well that depends what's wrong with her" Damascus said. "So what's up?" The goddess gently raised her daughter's arm, showing the nail which was buried in the girl's arm.

"Can you remove it?" she asked. Damascus leaned forward and inspected the wound critically.

"No worries" she said. Gently, she grasped the girl's arm in her hand, holding her steady as she gently clasped the nail. The girl however gave a shriek and pulled her arm away, wailing.

"NO!" she cried. Damascus growled and reached out again but the girl pulled her arm back again. "NO!" she screamed.

"Can't you see you're hurting her?" her mother demanded to which Damascus snarled.

"Of course I'm hurting her! Pulling a nail out is painful! But it has to be done or she'll risk an infection". The mother paled as Damascus's eyes flashed from their usual orange to deep purple.

"But-but can't you just use magic to remove it? Or possibly a painkilling spell?" Damascus shrugged.

"I could but I'm completely out of magic. I barely have enough juice to power a ten watt bulb. Now, I could use hers but I'm guessing that she's too young to use it yet…" The mother nodded. "And I'm also guessing that you don't have much either, so I suggest that you just let me get on with my job!" With that, she turned back to face the girl. "YOU! STOP! OR I SNAP YOUR NOSE OFF!" The girl instantly stopped crying and sat quietly, looking terrified as Damascus reached down, grasped her unresisting hand and yanked the nail out. The girl yelped but Damascus slapped her hands to her arm and poured what little magic she had left directly into the wound, healing it instantly. Within thirty seconds, she was done. "She's fine now" the exhausted devil said. "Now you two get on the next flight out. Tell them that I sent you if you must". The mother nodded, stooping to cradle her still wide-eyed daughter in her arms.

"Thank you" she whispered and then disappeared, hurrying off towards the landing zone.

"I have to say, that was quite impressive". Damascus didn't bother to turn to face Lamb, she just shrugged.

"I used to deal with them all the time. The only way to get someone whose panicking to do something you want them to do is to make them think that you are REALLY going to hurt them. Not my favourite tactic but I thought, under the circumstances…" She paused and finally turned to face Lamb. "You got your memory back, didn't you?" Lamb nodded.

"Yes. Some parts I wish I hadn't but then again, you can't pick and choose what you want and don't want to remember".

"How did it happen?"

"Kayrune came round. She said some things that helped to unlock my memory… such as why my Mistress was killed". Damascus raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.

"And?"

"She was assassinated because she is the only one who in a crisis, could reliably, quickly and accurately hack Gates. I mean, Hild and the Almighty One- Lord Tyr, can do it but they were the first targets anyway. And then there's Heimdall. He COULD do it but it took him time to do it. I can do it faster than anyone else and this was a threat to Deaderuss's plans. He needed a Gate to bring his forces here. And that's why Master sent me to find you. Bob and his group have found Bifrost in the central palace. Master is gearing up for a rescue mission". Damascus nodded slowly.

"I see. So that's why my Mistress was killed… an unfortunate accident in the grand scheme of things". She shook her head and then straightened. "Well Lamb, you had better get going. Master is going to need you".

"He needs you too Damascus". The devil snorted.

"Me? I have no magic left! What use will I be to him? I can't even shoot straight!" She gestured to the rifle she had been using, now tossed in the corner. "What us is a powerless Nightmare in the middle of a war?"

"Don't be down on yourself. Master needs you just as much as he needs me. Plus, he gave me this". Lamb snapped her fingers and a pair of cans dropped into her hand. She tossed on to Damascus who caught it and then checked the label.

"Chernobyly Energy Drink" she read aloud. "Caution: may cause vomiting, hallucinations, hair loss, temporary blindness, PERMANENT blindness, rectal bleeding…" The list went on for quite a while as Lamb pulled the tab on hers and took a deep swig. "… and the reduction of male sexual organs". She glanced up at Lamb who was taking another deep swig. "You're seriously drinking this stuff?" lamb shrugged.

"I may have A LOT more stamina than you but in truth, I'm nearly running on empty too. And each of these things contains enough calories to fully reenergise us for the rest of the day". Damascus chewed her lip for a second and then paused.

"What flavour is it?"

"Flavour?" Lamb asked and they both snorted. This was an energy drink after all.

"Radioactive horse piss?"

"Got it in one". Damascus sighed and cracked the can, taking a sip.

"This is nasty… why would humans invent something like this?"

"Don't ask me" Lamb said, crushing the can and tossing it away. "All I know is that we're going to be pissing green for the next three days".

"Nice…"

8888

"If you're going, then so am I!" Lind said, glaring at her man as he stood beside Street-fighter.

"Look Lind, there is a good chance I'll be killed during this thing. Getting us BOTH killed would just be silly".

"That may be so but I already told you; we haven't been married long enough for me to become a widow. I know we said "till death do us part" but I have no intention of that being in the next twenty-four hours! At the very least, if you die, I want to go with you!"

"What about the baby?" Jago asked, gently laying a hand on her slightly bulging belly.

"The baby is only as safe as I am and if you think about it LOGICALLY" she said with a sly smile, "I'm safest when I'm closest to you. You have to look after me! I mean, I am such a weak and pretty female…" She struck a pose that made Jago snort.

"There's nothing weak about you!" he said. "Although pretty…"

"Oi! Eyes front soldier!" Lind snapped and Jago shook himself.

"There's really nothing I can say that will stop you from coming?" Lind shook her head.

"Not even Gandamak could stop me!" Jago shrugged.

"Alright. Your funeral". With that, he grasped the side of the Challenger and used it to heave himself up and onto the roof of the tank where he took a seat beside the Commander's cupola. Lind then leapt onto the rear of the tank and prepared to take a seat herself but Jago shook his head. "Not there; that's the exhaust. It's hot and smoky there. You're gonna have to ride the roof with me". Lind sighed and clambered aboard the tank just as the Commander popped his hatch.

"Are we ready to go yet?" he asked irritably.

"Not quite" Jago said. "We're still waiting on a couple more".

"Present Master!" Lamb and Damascus landed neatly on the roof of the tank, bowing their heads. They disappeared back inside him with a flash.

"Alright! Let's get this convoy rolling!" The Commander nodded and the hatch snapped shut as the tank surged forward, followed by the mixed bag Humvees and LAVs, each with either a Valkyrie or Niflguard on-board. The rescue convoy was on its way. Heaven's Thunder Run had begun.

8888

They came under fire almost as soon as they left the plaza. Bullets clanged against the hull of the tank as it pushed a path through the streets and rockets whizzed by, either striking the road or buildings on either side or simply bouncing off the thick frontal armour. In return, the tank opened up with its machine guns, tearing into the enemy on either side. The main gun and coaxial weapon were useless; they couldn't manoeuvre the turret fast enough in these enclosed streets to make them viable weapons. However, while the Commander raked one side of the street with his remote controlled .50 calibre, the Operator popped his hatch and used the GPMG (*3) to fire on the other. And the vehicles behind were also able to lend their support; Humvees with their machine guns and LAVs with their 25mm Bushmaster cannons, ripping apart buildings with a frightening ease. Meanwhile, Lind and Jago worked tirelessly to protect the convoy from their vantage point on top of Street-fighter. Lind used Mjolnir to rockets out of the air while Jago sniped the gunners from the roofs with his elephant gun. And so on they thundered, grinding their enemies beneath their tracks. But they were taking casualties. It was the fourth Humvee that lost the first one. The gunner had reversed his armoured turret to fire at the enemy who were targeting the rearmost vehicles, using the heavy machinegun to shred the Jötunns into bloody ruin. However, his exposed back was a tempting target and it wasn't long before a Jötunn popped out of an alleyway, rifle blazing. The man was struck in the back of the neck, making him collapse, screaming, into the cramped interior of the Humvee.

"FUCK! FUCK!" he shrieked as the medic started working on him even as the truck kept moving.

"SOMEONE GET ON THE FIFTY!" the Corporal said, gesturing to the machinegun. The Valkyrie nodded and clambered up through the hatch, steadying herself against the turret-ring.

"How do I use this thing?" she asked, hefting the heavy weapon.

"Double cock the slide to chamber the round! Then depress the double trigger!" The Valkyrie nodded, cocking the gun and then pressed both triggers, feeling the gun kick. She fired a quick burst, her aim shaky as the vehicle rumbled and jolted along. But she quickly got the hang of it, swiftly turning the big gun, firing a short burst and then moving on to the next target, not caring whether or not she had killed them, so long as they kept their heads down. Meanwhile, at the head of the column, Jago had a problem. No more bullets. He grunted as he stowed his rifle and then spotted a Jötunn in a nearby alley, aiming an RPG at the second vehicle in the convoy; Jeiko's Humvee. He had to act fast. He thumped his fist on the top hatch of the tank and called out to the crew.

"GUNNER, GIVE ME NINETY DEGREES RIGHT!" The Gunner obliged, spinning the turret to the side as Jago dropped, dangling above the ground by one hand and spinning his truncheon in the other. As the tank rumbled past, he swung his heavy weapon, striking the giant on the side of his head, breaking his neck and killing him instantly. Jago grinned and went to haul himself back up but at that moment, the tank went over a bump, bouncing on its tracks… and throwing him clear from the side of the vehicle. He had a sudden, horrible image of himself falling, to be crushed beneath the tracks of the armoured behemoth. But then a hand reached down and grasped his, hauling him up.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Lind shouted above the roar of the engine, hauling on the roof of the tank once more. "OR DO YOU JUST HAVE A DEATH WISH?"

"A BT OF BOTH!" And so it went for mile after mile. But soon they reached a problem. A roadblock. "Hmm, that's vexing" Jago said, dropping from the tank's roof and landing beside the barricade. It wasn't a full roadblock, with a large gap in the middle, but it was sturdy and it was in the way. "Do you think you can clear this thing?" he called out to Street-fighter.

"Not a chance" the Commander said. "It's too sturdy to break through with the gear with have here. We'd need a Trojan to knock this down". Jago shook his head. Trojans were armoured engineer vehicles, built on the same chassis as a Challenger 2 but with the edition of a mine-plough and an excavator, rather than a gun. They were useful but unfortunately, they hadn't thought to bring one with them. There was one thing for it; they were going to have to split the convoy.

"Ok, here's the plan. Street-fighter and the LAVs will backtrack and see if they can find a safe way around. Meanwhile, the Humvees will keep pushing on the target from here. We'll rendezvous at the central palace as soon as the armour makes it through". The Commanders nodded and the tank and its light support started to reverse back down the way it had come.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Lind asked. "I may not know much about armoured warfare but I do know that Humvees aren't supposed to engage enemies with anti-tank weapons".

"You're right; this is probably NOT a smart idea. But at this point, we don't really have a great deal of choice. We need to get to the central palace and this is the quickest and most direct route". Lind shrugged.

"You have a point… but if I might make a suggestion? We split ourselves up. If I take the lead vehicle, I can guide us to the palace and hopefully spot ambushes before we get to them. Jeiko's in the second car so if you take the third… plus it means that if one of us is killed, they'll still be two more of us who are capable of fighting". Jago nodded and head towards the third vehicle as Lind climbed aboard the fist. "Alright" she said the stunned Lieutenant inside. "Let's get moving".

8888

Something was wrong. Ever since the barricade, the city had been surprisingly quiet. There had been the occasional attack by rifle armed Jötunns but for the most part, the enemy seemed to have disappeared. It made Lind feel uneasy, especially since the radio was constantly squawking warnings of massed Jötunn formations. So where were they? The convoy pulled up to a "T" junction, pausing just out of sight.

"Which way the driver asked, glancing out of each side of the vehicle.

"Take the left" Lind said. "But go slow. There's something not quite right going on here". The man nodded and the truck rumbled forward, its machinegun trained on the street. The passed a series of burned out buildings, rumbling slowly along, until they came to another problem; another road-block. But this one was different. Lind jumped down from the Humvee as it stopped just in front of the burnt out hull of the CRARRV that was blocking the street, its burning wreck belching black smoke from its blazing fuel tanks.

"Looks like we're going to have to go back" someone said. "There's no way we can get around this thing".

"What happened?" Jeiko asked, poking his head out of his vehicle. Lind licked her lips, inspecting the tank.

"Looks like- looks like they were detracked and had to abandon it. Hopefully they were alright when they left". There was a shout from the rear of the convoy.

"What's that?" Everyone turned, seeing a shadow moving in the smoke, growing larger.

"Hold! Don't fire until we have a positive ID". Guns were cocked and they heard the deep crunch of the HMGs being loaded. And then the shape revealed itself. A horse.

"It's a horse" one of the soldiers said as the animal slowly picked its way through the ruins and Lind smiled as it approached.

"Sleipnir? What are you doing here?" she asked, grasping the eight-legged horse by his bridle. The horse snickered, gently nuzzling her as she rubbed his muzzle. But then the trap was sprung. With a shout, the Jötunns exploded from the roof-tops, firing down on them.

"AMBUSH!" Lind was knocked aside as Sleipnir bolted and she fell to the floor as the Humvees open up with their heavy guns, shredding the tops of the walls.

"GET UP!" someone shouted and she was grasped by the shoulder before being bundled into the back of the lead Humvee as the convoy started to reverse back down the street, guns blazing. She shook herself to try and clear her head as the gunner was shot down, only to be replaced by the Niflguard who was in the back seat. But then, as the convoy continued to speed backwards down the street, missing the turned they were meant to take and entered a large, open courtyard. And Lind's car exploded as the shell struck it. She never even saw the tank that got them.

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"LIND!" Jago shouted as he saw his wife's car explode, stuck in the side by the tank's shell. He didn't stop to think as the convoy continued to reverse, just pulled the door open and rolled, diving from the moving vehicle and into the street. He then curled into a tight ball as the second Humvee rolled over the top of him before getting to his feet and charging toward the wreckage of Lind's vehicle. He ducked behind it, desperately searching for her but there nothing. The occupants of the car had been shredded by the shrapnel. There was no a way that Lind could have survived that. She was dead. And Jago was angry. Eyes burning red, he turned to face the tanks. Oh but they would suffer!

"JUPITER SMASH!"

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The tanks were T-62s, much tougher than the T-55s that they had face before. Thicker armour, a more powerful engine and with a unique 115mm gun, it was a Soviet monster for the mid Sixties and Seventies, replacing the T-55 in active service with frontline units. But then, they were never designed to stop an enraged Opal-essence. Even four of them wouldn't stand a chance. And so, it was Papa Jupiter who roared into battle. He charged in, shoulder barging the machine from the front and rocking it back on its tracks. He then reached under the tank's left track and flipped it, over onto one side, before grasping it by the barrel and starting to spin, heaving the tank from the ground and sending it spinning away, crashing through a nearby building. He roared and leapt onto the front of the second tank, grasping the sides of the turret in his hands. With a below, he tore the turret clean off the chassis and shook it violently, killing the men inside. Then he glanced over at the other two as they turned hard to engage him, both firing their main guns as he dropped the turret a little to cover himself. One shell struck the side of the wrecked tank's chassis while the other stuck the underside of the turret that Jupiter was holding, knocking both him and it flying.

"FUCK!" he swore, clapping a hand to the wound in his chest and pouring healing magic into it. Now he was pissed off. He jumped up and took advantage of a fatal flaw with the T-62; it is unable to rotate its turret while it was reloading. And so he charged in from an angel as the driver tried to aim the big gun by turning the whole vehicle but this was far too slow. He grasped the side of the tank, hauling himself aboard and scrambled up the side of the turret, punching through the Commander's hatch with his hands and then prying it open. He reached inside and hauled the stunned Jötunn Commander from his seat and hurled him before dropping into the crew compartment. "Alright gents?" he asked, pulling out his revolver. The Gunner and the Operator were too slow to react; two shots rang out and they dropped, leaving Jupiter in command. He was going to ENJOY this!

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The other tank Commander was unsure what to do. He knew that the human was inside the tank but he couldn't attack without killing the crew inside. Normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem for a Jötunn but there were only a handful who were short enough to man the tanks since Soviet vehicles were notorious for being small on the inside, meaning that they couldn't afford to lose any. He winced as he saw the tank reverse over the top of its former Commander, grinding him into a bloody pulp. And then to his surprise, the tank's main gun discharged, firing off the high explosive shell in the chamber. The turret locked as a new shell was loaded and then it began to move freely once more, with a new shell loaded. It was training on them. Panicking, the Commander called out to his crew.

"Gunner! Fire on that tank!"

"But Sir! Our men!"

"Who cares! Destroy that tank!" The Gunner obliged, squeezing the trigger of the gun. Unlike the Challenger, there was no split second delay as the firing computer worked out the best firing solution. In a T-62, there is no firing computer. Instead, there was an immediate roar as the cannon thumped back, rocking the whole tank as the shell shot forth, impacting the left side of the other tank… to no effect. In their haste, neither the Gunner or the Loader had though to replace the high explosive round with an anti-tank shell, meaning that beside some minor damage to the Driver's and Commander's sights, the tank was unharmed. And the Gunner's sights were working just fine.

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Jupiter squeezed the trigger on the main gun, not caring where the high explosive shell landed and then ducked to one side as the breech opened and ejected the brass shell casing that had contained the propellant for the shot. He then grunted as he hefted the heavy HEAT round into place, thrusting it home with his fist. He then pulled the dead Gunner from his seat, dumping his body on the floor and took his place, turning the turret to align with the other vehicle, just in time to see the tank fire. The HE shell struck the side of his tank's turret with a dull boom, shaking the vehicle. Shards of glass rained down on him from above as the Commander's sight shattered and he heard the Driver scream as his periscope imploded, filling his eyes with shards. But Jago's sight was fine. It cracked but it was still usable, so he took careful aim, laying the gun on the right side of the other tank's turret and squeezing the trigger. The tank boomed again and the crew compartment filled with smoke as the shell was launched. He didn't see the other T-62 explode but he heard and felt it and he could imagine the carnage it caused as the jet of molten copper burned through the thick steel armour and then cooked off the stowed ammunition, blowing the tank apart from the inside.

"That was for Lind" he said and then glanced down at the floor of the tank where he could still hear the Driver screaming. "Oh, shut up!" he said, kicking over a few shells and filling the inside of the tank with cordite before clambering out and lighting a flare. "And this is for her too!" With that he dropped the flare and jumped, as the burning brand dropped into the explosive mixture, blowing the tank apart and sending him flying. He landed in a heap and groaned before raising himself up on his elbows. And then a hand came down to help him up. He looked up and saw the grim face of the Lind, soot stained and bloody but very obviously alive.

"A bit dramatic wasn't it Jupiter?" she asked, pulling him to his feet. Jupiter shrugged.

"Perhaps". He licked two fingers and pinched out the tinny flame that was glowing at the tip of Lind's long bang. "And now, we've got even more fun". They both turned to see a second tank squad, again four tanks; all T-62s. "Ready?" he asked. Lind shrugged and pulled out Mjolnir.

"As I'll ever be". And they prepared to attack. They didn't know where the convoy was and they knew they had a mission to complete but for now, they had a new objective. But before they could move, a building to the left of the Jötunn column suddenly crumbled and a fifth tank punched through, ramming one of the Soviet made vehicles hard and flipping it over. It then fired its main gun and put a shell into the upturned vehicle's unarmoured underside, tearing it apart.

"IT'S A FRIENDLY! IT'S A FRIENDLY! THANK YOU JESUS!" Jago shouted as Jupiter vanished. Lind stood beside him, grinned and nodded as Street-fighter tore into the Jötunn armour. They were back in action.

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"DID YOU SEE THAT?! DID YOU SEE IT?!" the Diver demanded as the T-62 shells bounced off the front of the Challenger's armour.

"Cheeky sods!" the Operator said in agreement.

"Cut the chatter!" the Commander barked. "Gunner, CHARM shell! Engage at will!"

"Roger!" The Gunner slewed the turret to the left, angling on the nearest tank.

"CHARM up!" the Operator barked, ramming the depleted uranium sabot into the breach of the gun.

"FIRE!"

"On the way!" The gun thumped back, rocking the vehicle almost playfully, a far cry from the rough treatment dealt by the T-62s on their crew. The breach snapped open once more and the Operator slid the next fifty pound shell into place.

"CHARM up!"

"FIRE!"

"On the way!" The second tank exploded, torn apart by the super dense dart that was CHARM 3 and at that moment, the LAVs came rumbling through, their chain-guns pulsing. Against a T-62 at long range and in proper hands, an LAV was a sitting duck, being much less heavily armoured and heavily out-gunned. But up close, the 25mm armour piercing, high explosives easily cut through the tank's side armour, blowing it apart from the inside. And behind them came the five remaining Humvees, dented and bullet scared as they were. Jeiko leapt from the lead vehicle, landing as it rolled to halt, its machinegun blazing.

"Lind! Jago! Thank god! I thought we had lost you!" The two glanced at each other and winked, both knowing exactly what to say.

"Us? Nah! We had our fingers crossed!"

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"Just hold still a little longer" Damascus said, running her hands across Lind's wrist and letting her magic do its job. With a final sigh, she released her hand and Lind popped her wrist back into place after removing her knife-splint. "How's that?" Lind rolled her hand a few times, getting some feeling back into her hand. And then she summoned her halberd, catching it in her hand and spinning it around herself a few times, then tossing it in the air and catching it.

"It's good" she said. "Thanks". Damascus nodded and then the pair turned to face Jago as he approached. "So what's the plan?"

"We're moving out again" Jago said. "It's only about a mile to the palace so we're leaving the vehicles here and advancing on foot. Not all of us; about half. The vehicles and rest of the infantry will stay here and evacuate the wounded, waiting for us to get back. So, you in?" Lind nodded.

"Of course". And with that, they set off. The Almighty One, the Paladin, the head of the Earth Spirit army, half a dozen Valkyries and Niflguard and twenty soldiers of the multi-national task force. Into battle against the final threat.

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On-board the UNS Africa, the Captain of the mobile sea base ground is teeth.

"What do you mean she won't use nukes? Doesn't the stupid woman understand what she's up against?"

"Sorry Sir" the communications officer said. "This… Almighty One… Captain Lind I believe she's called, is in charge overall. If she says that we're not to use nukes under any circumstances". The Captain shook his head in dismay and glanced out the window at the strike aircraft that was waiting on the runway for the take-off order as the heavy bombers rolled down the runway and into the air.

"Doesn't she understand how many men we're losing?" the Captain asked. "At least a dozen fighters and helicopters, to say nothing of the infantry!"

"She's apparently lost thousands of her people. There's no way we're going to be able to convince her that we're going to be able to change her mind on this". The Captain paused and thought hard for a second.

"Who are you talking to?" he demanded. "I thought this… Lind, was away on some mission?"

"It's Lady Valmeyar" the communications officer said. "Lind's mother". The Captain nodded and then held out his hand, silently asking for the radio. The officer took it and the Captain took it, clicking on.

"Valmeyar, this is Captain Wilder of the UNS Africa. I understand that you're in charge".

"That's correct Captain Wilder. At least until my daughter returns that is".

"Well is it true that a nuclear strike is out of the question?"

"Absolutely. No thermonuclear weapons are to be deployed!"

"I understand" the Captain said. "But you must understand that our losses are becoming too heavy to keep up this fight for much longer. So, I propose an alternative; the W79".

"What's that?" the Praetorian asked cautiously. And so the Captain told her. "WHAT!?" she demanded. "No way! If Lind says no nukes, then no nukes are to be deployed!"

"But it's not a nuke" the Captain said quietly. "It's not even an atomic bomb". The argument raged back and forth. Points were made. So were threats. But finally, Valmeyar agreed.

"Alright. We'll finish the evacuation and then you drop the bomb".

"You have one hour…"

*1 The Street-fighter upgrade basically adds ten tons of weight to the vehicle by strapping extra armour onto every surface, as well as a device that jams the detonation signals for IEDs and adds a remote-controlled weapon of choice to the commander's hatch.

*2 The idea behind the HESH round is that it hits a tank and then sends a shockwave through the hull, knocking a scab of metal off of the inside of the vehicle and turning the tank's own armour into shrapnel, killing the men inside. It also has a decent High Explosive charge and the shockwaves make it great at killing infantry in buildings.

*3 General Purpose Machine Gun

**Authors Note: I have nothing that I particularly want to say. I say it often. **


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

**Hammer Down**

"I didn't expect there to be THAT many of them" Lind admitted as they peered out of the building that they were using to stage their attack on the central palace.

"I'll admit it's long odds" Jeiko said, "but I can't see any other way through". He paused and turned to the commander of the human soldiers. "What do you think?" The man shrugged and shook his head.

"Well we can't attack head on" he said. "There's far too many for that". And he had a point, because across the courtyard from them wasn't so much an army as a legion. Thousands upon thousands of Jötunns, all armed to the teeth with knives and guns, with a handful of Soviet made armoured vehicles scatted amongst them. Here and there were bands of larger giants; the commanders and chieftains with their bodyguards, pushing their way through the milling serfs, growling and roaring among themselves. And scattered amongst them were the surviving Praetorians. They had been badly mauled by the human fighter jets and helicopters, with more than a thousand killed or wounded and leaving the bombers to continue their work around Hero's Plaza. Here however, with the watchful support of the Zu-23 guns, they still held the skies, destroying any aircraft that came too close. And because of this, the Jötunns were able to mass in such numbers, blocking the thirty fighters from breaking through to the palace proper.

"So what do we do?" Lind asked, glancing back at Jago as he talked into the radio.

"WHAT!?" she heard him shout into the radio, not paying attention. "ARE YOU MAD VALMEYAR? THAT'S NOWHERE NEAR LONG ENOUGH!" There was a silent moment and then he growled slowly and quietly. "Right, understood. But not chuffed!" He then turned to Lind, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"You haven't been paying a damn bit of attention have you?" Lind said sadly.

"Sorry, my mind has been sort of occupied. Did I ever tell you that your mother is a damn fool?" At this Lind nodded.

"No but I get your point. So what's she done?"

"She's authorised Hammer Down" Jago said.

"WHAT?" She snatched the radio from him, clicking onto Valmeyar's channel. "Valmeyar, what are you doing? I haven't authorised Stage Three yet!"

"It's too late Lind" Valmeyar said. "The human commander has been ordered to deploy the attack".

"But I DID NOT authorise this!" Lind said, her face red. "What gives the humans the right-"

"This is their operation now. You may be the Almighty One but as you are not officially recognised, you have no power here. This is out of our hands now. I'm sorry". Lind ground her teeth. The first challenge to her power. She had only been the Almighty One for a few hours but she had already been forced to accept an unsavoury decision. A decision made by a human no less. And upon revelation, she had no doubt that she would face even great challenges. But for now, she had to put her foot down.

"Listen" she said. "I don't care what this commander says, we are NOT using nuclear weapons here. I'm adamant about that. I want to be able to rebuild this place later but that won't be possible if some fool drops a damn great nuke in the middle of my city".

"I've already relayed your objections to Captain Wilder of the UNS Africa. No nukes will be dropped". But Valmeyar didn't tell her what WAS coming. She didn't have the heart. Lind however seemed pleased, glad at her small victory over the humans who would impose their will on her.

"Good. How long until the strike?"

"Fifty-seven minutes exactly".

"Understood". She clicked off the radio and tossed it back to Jago. "I can see why you were distracted" she said. "Now, have you thought of a way we can clear this square in such a way that we can get in and out in less than an hour?" Jago tapped his chin, thinking as one of the soldiers glanced pointedly at his watch. He was Russian. And that gave Jago an idea.

"Katyushas" he said simply.

"What's that?"

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Belldandy sighed as yet another helicopter began to climb away from the island, carrying the evacuees out towards the waiting ships. She was bone tired and so was her dear Keiichi, both of whom had been working the whole day to take care of those who were escaping the destruction of Heaven and Hell. Now though, the humans had come and they had lent their support, carrying the gods and demons to safety and for this she was grateful. She had learnt much in her five years on Earth and it included the power and ability of these beings to cause death and destruction. She had seen their capacity for destruction first hand and it had saddened her; a goddess among goddesses, one who's heart was nothing but pure joy and happiness. But she had also seen their capacity for love and creation; none more so than her Keiichi. He had accepted her as his own and she had taken him as hers. They had loved each other more than life itself and through their love, she now bore his child… or rather, his children. Triplets. She could feel them deep inside and it warmed her heart, even as they leant their power to boost her own, allowing her to continue to save everyone she could. Then there was Jago. He was no like Keiichi. He was far darker and far sadder, hidden behind his vale of smiles. But he had taken Lamb and Damascus without a word and then Lind… Her older sister. Apparently he had married her, in the middle of battle, making him Belldandy's brother-in-law. She could not ask for a better man. If he survived, she hoped he would be the godfather for her and Keiichi's children. And all then there were human soldiers. They had come when asked, risking their own lives to save people who they didn't even know existed until just a few hours ago. Selfless heroes, all fighting to save whoever they could. And now they were done. The last helicopter lifted from the island with a whoosh, whipping her skirts as she watched it turn and start its slow progress towards the fleet. Silently, Keiichi came to stand beside her, putting his hand in hers.

"That's all of them Bell" he said and Belldandy smiled. He looked tired and worn but he managed to smile back.

"Thank you my love" she said. "I have received word from Captain Wilder; they're sending someone to pick us up. We can leave this island in peace". Keiichi nodded but then he paused.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? People are going to notice a fifteen square mile island suddenly appearing in the middle of the Atlantic, especially if it's covered in ruins". Belldandy nodded but shook her head.

"That is not something for us to worry about. Lind is the Almighty One now. She must decide what we must do with Avalon". At that moment, the Tanngrisnir came roaring in low over the island from the fleet, before coming to a halt and slowly touching down amongst the ruins. Without bothering to shut down the engines Skuld emerged, running towards them, waving her arms and shouting. "What is it Skuld?" Belldandy asked, cocking her head as she stopped just short of them, doubling over to pant. "Take a moment; catch your breath and then tell me". Skuld nodded and took several deep breaths before continuing.

"Big Sis! I just heard over the radio that Valmeyar is preparing to destroy Heaven!" Belldandy simply nodded.

"Yes Skuld. While it is regrettable, it is better that the city be destroyed than it should fall to the Jötunns". Skuld looked horrified.

"REGRETTABLE?!" she shrieked. "Don't you understand?! They're going to destroy HEAVEN! Our HOME! We can't-"

"There is much in that city which could be used against us if the Jötunns so chose to do so. It is better that we destroy the city now, rather than risk it falling into enemy hands. It can be rebuilt, people can't". Skuld looked up at her big sister, tears in her eyes, but saw nothing but steel resolution. There would be no way that she could convince Belldandy that this was a bad idea. She glanced across at Keiichi and while he looked as shocked as she felt, Skuld knew that he would not be able to offer anything that would convince her. There was only one thing for it.

"Belldandy" she said slowly, her voice calm and level, "Wilder has convinced Valmeyar to allow the deployment of a high powered weapon called a W79. Do you have any idea what that is?" Belldandy admitted that she didn't and so Skuld told her. It shook Belldandy to the core.

"IS VALMEYAR MAD? TO DEPLOY SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN HEAVEN- LIND WOULD NEVER ALLOW IT!"

"That's the problem; Lind doesn't know! I've hacked their frequency and while Lind knows that they're going to bomb the city, she doesn't know they're going to use THAT! Worse; she's on a rescue mission with Jago and Jeiko. They've gone after Bifrost and are trying to recover her from the central palace. They may still be in the city when the bomb drops!" Belldandy paused for a moment and then turned to Keiichi.

"Keiichi my love, I would ask you to stay here but I know you well enough to know that you won't. I want you with me but you must promise me that you won't do anything stupid. Is that understood?" Keiichi nodded.

"I… guess so. But why? Why are you going?"

"Because I'm the only one who might be able to influence Valmeyar and if they use the weapon they intend to use, we may never be able to return to Heaven. Plus, when Lind finds out, she's going to be APOCALYPTICALLY cross, especially if she finds out Valmeyar went around her back!"

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"Ok Raven, firing coordinates are as follows; twenty-seven degrees up, fifteen degrees west. Range; fifty metres. Confirm" Jago said, raising one hand for quiet, waiting for a reply from the other end of the radio.

"Raven confirms. Twenty-seven degrees up, fifteen degrees west. Range; fifty metres".

"Roger Raven. Fire at will". He then glanced up, pocketing his radio. "Eyes closed, mouths open and as soon as the bomb drop, get ready to move. You've all gotta stay right in my arse when I start to move. We do all know the plan right?" he said and everyone nodded. "Good; get ready". It was at that moment that the deep shrieking-boom sounded in the distance and Jago ducked his head as the Russian katyusha rockets from the BM-21 rocket artillery came screaming in like a cloud of enraged hornets, filling the courtyard with fire and destruction. Each rocket was filled with cluster munitions, some high explosives and some lightweight HEAT shells, capable of cutting through the light armour on the tops of the Jötunn tanks. And it quickly became clear why Jago had insisted on open mouths; pressure waves caused by the multiple rocket hits ruptured the ear drums of anyone who kept their mouths closed, permanently deafening them. The entire barrage lasted a little over twenty seconds, in which time more than one-hundred and sixty rockets saturated the square, almost completely clearing it and stunning those who hadn't been prepared. So much so that they were taken completely by surprise by the sudden appearance of twenty human soldiers and half a dozen Valkyries and Niflguard, led by three of the most powerful fighters in existence. Lind struck first, striking down a still stunned Praetorian with her halberd as they sprinted across the courtyard, clearing the path as they went. The soldiers opened up with their rifles, dropping Jötunns left, right and centre as Jago swept a trio of them aside with his truncheon and Jeiko laid into them with his hammer-arm. Together they raced forward, heading for a burned out tank that had taken a direct hit form a rocket as the soldiers laid their laser designators on the few remaining vehicles, making them for a strike. "LIFT!" Jago shouted to the Valkyries and Niflguard, stooping to grasp the underside of the tank. They stooped and together, they heaved the ruined tank onto its side, even as a flight of A-10 Warthogs rolled in, firing off firing off rockets, missiles and bursts from their heavy cannons, shredding the remaining armoured vehicles. The few remaining Praetorians rose to challenge them but they were swiftly cut down by the RAF Eurofighters that screamed in behind the bombers, letting fly with their Meteor missiles, forcing the powerful fighter back to the ground.

"GOOD!" shouted Jeiko as they heaved the tank onto its side with a grunt. "NOW PUSH!" Together, they heaved the wrecked tank forward, with the bullets started to fly as the Jötunns began to recover. They could hear the deep clangs as the rounds bounced off the armoured hull as they continued their advance towards the palace gates, using the heavy vehicle as cover. All the while, the fighters and fighter-bombers continued their assault as they made painstaking progress towards the main gate. They were almost there…

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With a resounding crash, the gates slammed shut. They glowed briefly as the automatic sealing spells locked them in place, preventing anything short of a full blown dragon attack from breaking through. The Praetorian in command grinned to herself as the final bar was dropped into place.

"Fools" she muttered to herself. "They think that a few humans can turn the tide of this war?" She turned to the assembled forces as they milled about in the main foyer, most unsure as to what to do now. "We shall gather here until we have enough warriors to overrun this pitiful attack and then we shall sweep forward and clear the entire city of this filth!" There was a resolute cheer from those inside and she turned back triumphantly to face the doors… just as they exploded off their hinges.

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"BASTARDS!" Lind shouted about the shriek of jets and the crackle of rifle fire. "They've shut the doors on us!"

"Now that's a curve-ball" Jago said mildly, glancing around the tank that they were still using for cover. "How strong are those things?" he asked.

"Resistant to most forms of attack" Lind replied. "Nothing short of a direct attack by a top level combat spell could penetrate those things!"

"What about a couple of Maverick anti-tank missiles?" Lind paused, thinking for a second.

"You could give it a go" she said. Jago nodded and put a call in to the orbiting fighters.

"Lightning flight, roll in with AGMs and crack this place open!"

"Roger!" the pilots said and the big jets roared in, missiles locked and guns blazing.

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The Praetorian was shocked as the doors exploded inwards. She had expected to see the Paladin and his little group come bursting through the door, only to be mown down by Jötunn fire. What she did NOT expect was a pair of F-35B stealth fighters, their heavy lift fans allowing them to hover above the battlefield. The jets had just used their on-board Mavericks and so they blazed with 20mm cannons, shredding the defenders inside and clearing a path for the little team to break in. It was a Ghurkha who led the charge, his rifle tucked securely under one arm, bayonet fixed and his khukuri in his other hand.

"AYO GORKHALI!" he roared, hacking a path through the Jötunns, clearing the way for the others, his tiny figure noted as a gap in the surrounding giants, being almost two feet shorter than most of the Jötunns. But he fought with terrifying ferocity, driving them back with reckless abandon. Behind him came the Valkyries and Niflguard, their blades flashing as they struck down their foes. And close behinds them came the remaining human soldiers, advancing in an arc, their rifles clattering as they picked off their enemies.

"Remind me never to piss of a Ghurkha" Jeiko said as he blocked a strike from a Praetorian's spear, watching the tiny soldier hack his way through to the central desk. "That guy is lethal!"

"Why do you think I asked for Ghurkhas specifically?" Jago asked, kicking a Jötunn in the fork so hard that he heard the pelvis shatter. "There's nothing in this world that can kill a Ghurkha!" By this point, they had fought their way to the great desk that sat in the centre of the room and most of them dived behind it.

"Alright Jago, what floor are Chrono and the others hiding on?" Lind asked as she swung her halberd, clearing a swathe through the Jötunn forces.

"Fifth floor balcony" Jago said. "Right above where they're holding Bifrost". Lind nodded.

"Alright; we'll fight together as far as the Praetorian barracks and then we'll split up. If you go after them, Jeiko and I will focus on getting to Bifrost back".

"Is it really such a good idea to leave this lot here?" Jeiko asked, gesturing at the little group that were using the great desk as a bastion. "They're going to be heavily outnumbered". The three of them paused to watch the Ghurkha charge into the middle of a group of seven Praetorians, screaming as he went. He struck on down with his khukuri, then back-slashed to catch one in the chest before emptying the magazine of his rifle into a third and bayoneting a fourth.

"Nah, they'll be fine" Jago said.

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Belldandy dropped from the Tanngrisnir even before the big plane had reached the ground, touching down gently. Hero's Plaza had been completely evacuated; only ruins remained there. The only fighting that remained was around the central palace and at the convoy's hold fast, about a mile away from the palace. This is where they had dropped in. And Belldandy was almost instantly deafened as Street-fighter fired off its main gun almost beside her head. It wasn't until a hand was laid on her shoulder that she realized that someone was trying to talk to her. It was Urd. Belldandy was startled by her sister's appearance; her robes were battered and torn from countless hours in battle, her usually silver-blond hair was darkened with a thick coating of blood, sweat and soot and most disturbing of all, her facial markings had changed to the red emblems of a demon. She said something but Belldandy's ears were still ringing so she shook her head, pointing to them and Urd nodded, snapped her fingers and Belldandy's hearing returned.

"Thank you" she said.

"That's alright Bell" Urd said. "But like I was saying, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on Avalon or on-board that ship?" Belldandy shook her head.

"I heard that Valmeyar is planning some sort of extremely heavy bombardment… possibly nuclear in nature. I came to try and convince her to stop". Urd sighed and shook her head.

"You can try but it's not going to work". She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder to where the Praetorian was busy directing the last few survivors onto the remaining transports. Belldandy nodded and she headed across to her as Keiichi disembarked cautiously from the plane. "You still alive then?" Urd asked him. Keiichi nodded, ducking at the crackle of machinegun fire.

"Yeah, just about" he said nervously as a bullet ricocheted off the hull of the Tanngrisnir. "How can you just stand there?" he demanded as another bullet hissed past. "You're going to be killed!" Urd shrugged.

"Something Jago told me; when to know when to duck. At the moment, they're not shooting at me".

"How can you tell?"

"A hiss means it's close, a snap means-" She suddenly dropped to the ground as a bullet snapped past. "OK, NOW THEY'RE SHOOTING AT ME!" She scrambled up inside the Tanngrisnir, crouching beside Keiichi for cover.

"Um, Urd" he said and she realised that he looked incredibly nervous. He was looking at her face. She twigged.

"Yes, I'm now a demon" she said with an exasperated sigh. "Hagall and I are sharing power as twin Daimankaichōs and unfortunately being a demon kinda comes with the territory. But in this case, it does come with one difference compared to what usually happens when I go full blown evil; I still got the same personality as I did as a goddess, so I won't be trying to blow you up or turn you into anything unnatural". Keiichi nodded nervously but then he paused.

"What about World of Elegance?" he asked. "I've always wondered what happens to her when you turn into a demon". Urd shrugged and her black and white angel appeared behind her. Or rather, her black and white devil. She was still World of Elegance but instead of angel's wings, they were now the bat like wings of a devil and she had a pair of short fangs were growing from her top lip. The most noticeable difference though was that her sides had changed; her left wing and the hair on that side of her head had been black but was now white and the opposite was true for her right, which was now black. It made Keiichi's head hurt to look at but she smiled and said something to which Urd smiled.

"She says you needn't worry. She's fine. Although I will admit she has a lisp because of those fangs". World of Elegance looked incredulous and said something that Keiichi didn't understand. Urd sighed. "Yes you do Ella! Look, just admit it already! I'm sure it's just temporary!" World of Elegance shook her head viscously and said something before flipping Urd the finger and then disappearing back inside her. "OH! THAT GIRL!" Urd said. "SHE'S REALLY PISSING ME OFF!"

"Perhaps she's just angry about the lisp and being turned into a devil?" Urd glared at him and for a second, he was sure she was going to attack him but then her face softened and she sighed.

"You're right" she said. "I can't blame her for what has happened… with luck it'll only be temporary and we'll both be back to normal". She poked her head back out of the aircraft and glanced around. "That is, if we survive through today". She ducked back inside as a hurrying figure headed towards them, a trail of bullets following her. It was Belldandy and as she approached the plane, she tripped, stumbling form her feet.

"BELLDANDY!" Keiichi shouted but his wife rolled back to her feet in a single fluid movement and then, she was ducking inside the plane. "Belldandy, are you alright?" he asked as she nodded.

"I'm fine" she said and then called out to Skuld. "Take us up! Get us airborne!"

"Alright! Hold on!" Skuld shouted and the Tanngrisnir roared into life, lifting form the ground. As the rear door snapped shut, they saw the last few vehicles, Street-fighter included, being loaded onto a pair of V-660 Whirlwinds, all preparing to leave.

"So what's going on?" Keiichi asked. "What's happening?" And it was now that he realised just how angry Belldandy was; she was shaking. He had thought it was nerves but he could now see that for the first time since he had met her, Belldandy was seething with rage.

"Valmeyar is evacuating everyone who are still there. She's refused to cancel the strike and is just waiting for Lind and the rescue to team to get back and then the we're pulling out entirely. Worse, if they're not back in less than half an hour, the least helicopter will be leaving without them!" Both Urd and Keiichi looked stunned.

"You can't be serious!" Keiichi said. "She wouldn't-"

"She won't let Heaven fall to the Deaderuss and King Surtr, under any circumstances… at least not with the city in one piece. And if that means that both the Paladin and the Almighty One are killed in the blast, then so be it!"

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The building shook as the trio raced through the corridors as the B-52s began their attack, carpet bombing large areas of the city, one block at a time. But that was of little concern to Jago, Jeiko and Lind as they were locked in a running battle with the Praetorians who were protecting this wing of the palace. Jago led the way by clearing the path with his truncheon, taking wide sweeps to clear them out of the way, not bothering to protect himself from attack. That was Lind's job, using her speed to block any attack that threatened to take Jago out. All the while, Jeiko covered the pair with his array of weapons, rapidly switching between cannon, blades, morning-star and hammer. That was until they came to the stairs.

"Alright, I'm going up" Jago said and then gave a shrug as Lamb appeared, rustling her wings behind her. "Now take care of her; not a scratch". Lamb snorted at him.

"I'm not that fragile Master" she said. "I can hold my own".

"I was talking about Lind".

"And why do we need her with us?" Jeiko asked, gesturing at Lamb.

"Well who else is going to reset Bifrost? Can you do it?" Jeiko shook his head. "I thought so. Now, I'll be back soon. Don't do anything stupid". With that, Jago turned away, heading up the stairs two at a time.

"So which way to the room where she's being kept?" Jeiko asked. Lamb turned and snapped out one arm, sending a shock wave down the far corridor, knocking aside a group of Praetorians who were heading towards them.

"That way" she said.

"What she say?" Jeiko asked.

"She said that way".

"Right… remind me to ask Skuld to invent something so that I can understand these damn angels".

"Sounds like a plan" Lind's angels said, both appearing behind her. "Maybe it'll make karaoke easier when we play against Keiichi".

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There were at least fifty Jötunns outside the room where the quartet were hiding, as well as a dozen Praetorians.

"OPEN THIS DOOR AT ONCE!" on demanded, thumping her fist on the surface. "OPEN UP OR WE'LL HAVE YOU ALL KILLED!"

"You'll kill us all anyway!" one of the twins said from inside.

"Besides, there's nobody here!" the other twin said.

"OH YES THERE IS!" the Praetorian said.

"Oh no there isn't!"

"OH YES THERE IS!"

"Oh no there isn't!"

"I didn't realise it was pantomime season" Jago muttered to himself. "Damascus, any ideas?" Quietly, the devil appeared behind him, thinking carefully.

"Well there's a fair few of them" she said. "But I MIGHT have a spell that can do clear them. I should warn you though, you might not like it… I've got rather a nasty little water spell I could use…"

"You're not going to make them explode?" Jago asked to which Damascus gave him a horrified look.

"Of course not Master!" she said. "Do you think I'm that cruel?" She paused. "Don't answer that".

"Alright, whatever you think is best". Damascus nodded and her eyes turned red as she began building up a powerful spell. She began to whisper softly and a breeze build around her as she chanted what sounded like an incredibly complex mathematical formula at superluminal speeds. Unfortunately, this build-up of energy didn't go unnoticed and a pair of Praetorians quickly spotted them.

"IT'S THE PALADIN!" one shouted, summoning her poleaxe.

"TOGETHER NOW!" the other cried and as a unit, the Praetorians charged them.

"Better hurry!" Jago said to Damascus, gripping his truncheon in one hand and beginning to spin it, building up speed and power. Damascus didn't appear to hear him, just continued to chant rapidly, even as the Praetorians closed in. "Oh cock it!" Jago said and prepared to engage them but a millisecond before he was planning to jump in, Damascus's eyes snapped open and she threw up her hands, her eyes glowing a ghostly white… and the Praetorians stopped dead, screaming. Their bodies contorted as if under the control of some unnatural force and their eyes rolled back in agony. Slowly, awkwardly, they turned back to face the horrified Jötunns and started to advance on them. "Err, Damascus?" Jago said but the Archdevil continued to ignore her Master, simply twitching her hands a little as the screaming Praetorians continued to advance on the Jötunns. And then they attacked. They fought awkwardly and clumsily, as if their minds were busy trying to fight their bodies but with their banshee wail and the flash of their blades, they fell upon their former allies, hacking and slashing, ignoring wounds that should have killed them outright. Jötunns fought back and within just a few minutes, the two forces had torn each other apart, leaving them bleeding and dying on the floor. Only then did Damascus lower her arms and her eyes return to normal, going from white to red and finally back to purple. She slumped and Jago had to catch her to stop her from collapsing completely.

"Well that was unpleasant" she said. "Excuse me while I throw up". Jago turned away and waited until the sounds of gagging had ended before handing her a handkerchief.

"Better?" he asked.

"Better" she said, dapping her lips.

"Good. Now what the Hell kind of spell was that? It was horrifying!"

"Blood Control" Damascus said. "It's a spell that has been banned from Hell for millennia. Basically, I can take control of all of the water in a being's body and force them to do things against their will or even just cut of the circulation to something vital. It used to be a favourite amongst assassins for this very reason but it was banned after they someone used it to kill off one of the former Daimankaichōs. But as a magical Arch, I'm required to know every spell and under the circumstances, I thought it was the best option. And before you ask, NO I couldn't have used it earlier. It's only effective against single individuals or at best, a small group. Twelve was really too large a group, that's why I was ill afterwards". Jago nodded and let her lean on him for support.

"Alright but don't use it again. It was horrible to watch. I wouldn't wish that kind of spell on my worst enemy, never mind a bunch unfortunate grunts; Praetorians or no".

"Sounds fair. If you don't mind me saying, it was a fucking nasty spell to use! EWW! My skin wants to crawl away and hide under the sink!" Jago nodded as they reached the door. He gave a loud knock and then waited for a reply.

"Who is it?" This was Chrono's voice and she sounded cautious.

"It's the pizza man!" Jago said.

"PIZZA!" The door was flung open by the twins but their faces fell when they saw that it was Jago.

"Wait, you're not the pizza man" Saga said huffily.

"No, we're the rescue party" Jago said. "You guys alright?" All four of them nodded.

"We're fine" Bob said. "But god am I glad to see you! We didn't know how much longer we could hold out in there! If the twins hadn't started the pantomime gambit, they would have tried to break in for sure!" Jago nodded and then he paused.

"So where's Bifrost?" he asked. "I thought you said you could see her from here".

"We can" said Chrono. "She's down there". She pointed over the edge of the balcony and down to the centre of the antechamber. There indeed was Bifrost. And Lamb. And Lind. And Jeiko. And several thousand hostiles.

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Lind grinned as she felt the satisfying crunch of the Praetorian's nose giving way beneath her fist. She then spun her halberd around one fist and brought it around in a wide sweep, clearing a great swathe around her, flecking her once white uniform red. This was it! This was what she was meant for! While it was true that she didn't fight solely for joy, for her it was the SECOND greatest joy she had. It was what she was born and bred to do; to face impossible odds on a suicidal mission against innumerable foes. YES! She felt Jeiko fall against her and she shoved back, propping him back onto his feet as he fired his arm-cannon, reducing a Praetorian to ash.

"Just like old times tight?" he said, ejecting a spent cooling tank and inserting a new one.

"Something like that" she said. She dropped to the ground, pulling a full spilt as an axe was swung over her head. Jeiko blocked the attack with the his reworked arm, now a hammer and then used his free hand to tug the heavy weapon from the Praetorian's hands before spinning it and hurling it back at her. Lind was back on her feet in a second and paused to nod at him. "Thanks".

"Don't mention it" Jeiko said but before he could flash her a grin, Lind jabbed her halberd at him, he side-stepped just in time, dodging the Praetorian behind him as her sword clanged against the ground and then took Lind's halberd top-spike full in the face. Lamb then dropped down from above, hacking through another Praetorian's blade with her own heavy sword, severing the woman's arm in the process.

"You're both sloppy" she said testily. "Less talk and more fight!" With a growl, she flashed her wings to steel and began to scythe a path through the Praetorians with them, leaving a trail of bloody ruin behind her.

"What's up with her?" Jeiko asked, shaking the blood from his hammer as he morphed it back into an arm.

"She's jealous of you" Lind said, filleting the last Praetorian in the corridor before turning to follow the angry Arch. "She's part of Jago remember and she's worried that you might try to steal me away from him". Jeiko snorted.

"Not a chance! Steal another man's woman? HAH!" He paused and glanced across as the blue-haired beauty as they hurried after Lamb and grinned. "Although, I have to admit that I've always thought of you as-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll knock out all of your teeth!" Lind said, half-serious. "You're too young for me anyway!"

"And Jago isn't?"

"SHUT UP!" She punched him playfully on the arm. Unfortunately she used enough force to punch him half an inch into the wall from which he had to extract himself painfully.

"Ok, perhaps I deserved that" he said. "How does Jago put up with you?"

"The same way you used to; he does or I hit him harder". Jeiko snorted.

"And that's why I'm glad you're the closest thing I ever had to a sister. I don't think I could have survived a real one!" Lind smiled but then she paused. Lamb was standing at the door to the antechamber, her sword in hand, waiting for them to catch up. And when they saw what she could see, they both whistled. There was a whole damned army waiting for them.

"That's a fair few Jötunns" Lind said.

"Not to mention Praetorians" agreed Jeiko. "So how are we going to do this?"

"Lind, you take the fifty on the right. Jeiko, you the fifty on the left. I'll take the million in the middle". Lamb's face was stern and the pair knew better than to argue with her as she flashed to full Prime, her wings stretching across the chamber. "READY?" she roared. "GO!"

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The battle was brief and extremely one sided. Lamb's power was the decisive factor. Using her wings as weapons, she was able to crush her opponents against the wall as she roared into battle, before they could react to the attack. Those who survived were then faced with one of the most powerful beings in existence, who advanced pushing a wall of pure heat in front of her, destroying any Jötunn who tried to block her advance. Only the Praetorians stood a chance, throwing up shields to protect themselves from the fire. But there was no weapon or spell that could stop her blade as she hacked her way through them, shattering spears, breaking swords and hacking with ease through armour, flesh and bone. And woe betide any fool who brought out their angel or devil to challenge her for Lamb had a devastating combat spell at her disposal to use on them. It was called Severance and it was simple; it severed the connection between the angel and her Mistress, instantly rending both comatose. It wouldn't kill them but it was both mentally and emotionally crippling and even if their angel was restored, there was a good chance that they would be too mentally scarred to ever fight again. By the time that she had finished, fourty-five seconds had passed. The fight was over and so, she reverted back from her Prime form, her wings shrinking and her palladium armour simply melting away, leaving her grasping her enormous buster sword.

"Oh bloody Hell Lamb!" Lind said scathingly. "You could have left some for the rest of us!" Lamb looked sheepish but then, as the three regrouped, they sensed a new threat. Out of the Bifrost Gate, six figures emerged. Three in gold and three in copper and black. All wearing masks and carrying swords; one hand on the hilt and one on the base of the blade. Knights of the Inner Circle. They advanced as a unit, in perfect step and stopped, blades raised, just short of the trio. And the blades went up, in challenge. Lamb raised her blade in salute and then gripped it above her head, ready to strike. Lind carefully balanced her halberd, legs wide apart, set in a defence posture. Jeiko charged his arm, ready for whatever came next. Attack or defend, it mattered little. He was prepared. And then, they just stood. The two sides faced each other, not daring to blink. Minutes crept by. The tension built. And then, in a sudden explosion of violence, the two sides clashed.

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The two Knights facing Jeiko leapt into the air, silent as ghosts, blades raised. He was ready. He dropped to one knee, his arm becoming a cannon which he steadied with his other hand, pointing straight at one of the Knights and he fired. The blast punched straight through the Knight, killing it instantly but the second was right on target. The heavy blade struck Jeiko's arm with a crash, slicing through the delicate machinery and wires that allowed it to fire the concentrated busts of energy in such a spectacular fashion and completely disabling the cannon. He grunted at the strength of the impact and quickly reworked his arm into a blade, rising from his knees to slice at the Knight. The blade was blocked with an almighty crash and the Knight pushed back, aiming for his chest. He blocked the blow and aimed a kick at the Knight's shins but it back-stepped and he overbalanced and was almost caught on the up-swinging blade but he jammed his blade into the ground and then used it as a vaulting pole to summersault over the Knight's sword. He landed, turned and stuck, only for his blade to be blocked by the Knight's own weapon. The Knight then drew a long bladed knife and sliced with it, opening up Jeiko's good arm from wrist to shoulder. He growled in pain but then gritted his teeth and clenched his muscles, trapping the weapon in the wound and preventing the Knight from pulling it out, leaving it open for attack. Jeiko struck. He failed. His sword skittered off of the Knight's scale-mail armour with a shriek like finger-nails down a blackboard and it struck him hard with a gauntleted hand, knocking him flying. He landed in a heap, shaking his head to try and clear it but he was kicked over onto his back. He gasped in pain and heard ribs crack. He looked up, into the eyes that gleamed down from the mask. He saw the blade rise. And then the Knight screamed as his bionic eye launched a tiny dart straight into the unprotected eye of his enemy. She, for a she it was, screamed, dropping her sword and she staggered backwards, clawing at her masked face and she tore it off, wrenching the dart from her eye. And then she turned to face Jeiko once more. She glared. Jeiko levelled his blade at her, wrenched the knife from his other arm and then raised one hand, wiggling the fingers.

"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!" he said. The Knight of the Inner Circle roared and charged… and stopped as a halberd blade erupted through her chest, splitting her sternum. "OH COME ON LIND! I was winning!"

"I just wanted to return the favour" Lind said. "That was for Tobruk; unwanted help that saved your life".

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As the two Knights leapt into the air, Lind was already moving. She flicked her thumb across two boosters and shot sideways. However, while half of her molecules had moved out of the way when the Knights struck and so, one impale itself on her rapidly moving halberd. As she stepped into three places at once. Then she snapped into one spot, splitting her opponent into gory chunks, scattering entrails across the room. The second Knight was ready however and writhed aside, dodging the multiple-point defence like a glittering eel. The Knight's blade sliced down aiming for Lind's exposed back but the Almighty One was fast, tossing her halberd into the air and letting it fall behind her, dropping between herself and the blade. The sword struck the thick wooden haft and thumped the weapon against Lind's back and left her with a deep purple bruise but it held true and Lind escaped major injury, allowing her to draw her seax in one hand and the sacred weapon of the Almighty One in the other; Mjolnir. She then dropped low, spinning as she did so, her black jacket flapping around her and she struck the Knight on the knee with Mjolnir, shattering the bone and sending the Knight screaming to the floor. She then struck downward, plunging her knife into her enemy's stomach, before whipping it out and sheathing it, taking a moment to also stow Mjolnir in her belt. Calmly, she caught her halberd in one hand before it could reach the ground, rolled and came up, striking Jeiko's last foe from behind, killing the screaming Knight in a single blow.

"OH COME ON LIND! I was winning!"

"I just wanted to return the favour" Lind said. "That was for Tobruk; unwanted help that saved your life". She kicked the dead Knight off of her blade and then the pair turned to Lamb….

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There was not much point in describing Lamb's battle. It was over before it began. As the two Knights leapt, she swung her buster-sword around and it impacted with theirs with tremendous force. The Knight's blades shattered and Lamb's sword just kept coming, slicing the pair in half at the waist. As the two dropped dead to the ground, she glanced back to check on the others who were both holding their own against their enemies and so, Lamb strode towards the Gate, stowing her sword as she went.

"Come now Bifrost, let's get you closed" she whispered, laying a hand on the Gate's pale blue surface. And then she opened her mind. In a brain almost entirely dedicated to fighting, the hacking core opened, blossoming like a flower. Information flowed through her mind and to her, all of time and space appeared as a series of golden loops that weaved in and out of one another, with every point at which they touched being marked with a star. And each star represented a Gate. She could sense every single one of them. The deep black of the Death Gate. The radiant purple of the Gate of the Netherworld. The White of the Jötunnheim Gate. The sad green of the Judgement Gate. And there, glistening like a tear, was the pale blue of Bifrost. The Heaven Gate. With exquisite care, Lamb detached Bifrost from the loop that represented the world of Jötunnheim and reattached her to Earth, completing the link perfectly. And then, with a snap, she was back. She caught Bifrost as she collapsed, exhausted from the damage that had been done to her systems by the crude hack enforced on her by the Jötunns and the Praetorians but she opened her eyes and smiled up at Lamb.

"Striking Twilight" she said. "I'm glad to see you once more".

"It's good to see you too Bifrost. But it's Astrakhan Lamb now". Bifrost nodded but then she paused.

"Please Lamb, where is my Guardian? Where is Heimdall?" Lamb shook her head. "I understand" Bifrost said, tears in her eyes. "So who is my Guardian now?"

"I am" said Jeiko. "It's good to have you back Bifrost". The Gate smiled.

"It has been too long Lord Sukaru" she said with a smile. And then she fell into deep slumber, utterly spent by her ordeal. Jeiko gently took the tiny girl from Lamb cradling her like the child she resembled and then he stood reverently.

"We should go now" he said.

"Wait, we need to wait for Jago to rendezvous with us!" Lind said but then she heard a voice from above them.

"INCOMEING!" Jago shouted as he leapt from the balcony, jamming his khukuri into the wall and using it to slow his descent as he slid down the surface. Behind him, Damascus emerged, wings beating furiously as she carried Bob to the ground, cursing him for being heavy. And behind her came Chrono and the twins, drifting down on their own wings.

"Show off" Jeiko said to Jago as he landed and Jago nodded.

"Well what is drama but life with all the boring bits cut out?"

"Alfred Hitchcock" the Earth spirit said. "Pick a hard one next time".

"Sorry to interrupt" Lind said, "but we need to get out of here before they blow this place higher than a kite". She turned to the others in the group, giving them the once over. "Are you ok? Nobody injured?" she asked, paying particular attention to Eir's ripped and bloodied skirt.

"Nothing that will slow us down" the goddess replied to which Lind nodded.

"Good, then let's move. We have less than ten minutes to get the Hell out of here!"

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"It's good to see that you're back Lind" Valmeyar said as the group reached the landing zone. "And the rest of you; Jago, Lord Sukaru. Did you manage to find Bifrost then?" Jeiko nodded and swept back his cloak to reveal the sleeping Gate.

"She's fine. She needs a proper reset and some repairs but Bifrost will be fine". Valmeyar nodded but then her face became stern.

"Well that's good but right now, we have a problem. I suggest that the soldiers get loaded up before I explain to you what's wrong. Valkyries and Niflguard too". The soldiers nodded and filed away to the helicopters, ducking inside with relief.

"So what's this problem?" Lind asked, watching the last few fighters clamber aboard the transports. "We don't have long until the bombs drop. We need to get out of here".

"That's just it" said Valmeyar. "The helicopters can't take off".

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The problem was that with nothing left to shoot, the Jötunns who had been attacking Hero's Plaza had turned their weapons on the few survivors. And this meant those who were still trying to evacuate were now trapped on the ground as any helicopter that tried to take off would be shot down in seconds. There was only one thing for it; someone would have to act as a decoy while the others tried to evacuate. Someone was going to have to stay and die.

"I'll do it" Jago said. "I'm the strongest here, so there's a good chance I'll survive".

"No Jago" Valmeyar said. "You're the Paladin. We need you alive. And the same goes for you Lind. As the Almighty One, we need you alive".

"Well I guess that means me" said Jeiko with a sigh. "I'll clear the path so-"

"NO FUCKING WAY!" Lind said, rounding on him with a growl. "JEIKO, YOU'RE-"

"And I'm going with him" said a new voice. They turned to see Weth emerging from the rear of a Sea Knight, shaking out her dark hair.

"Weth? You're still here?" Jago asked.

"I've done enough running… and I've caused enough pain for one day. It's time that I earned my redemption. A noble death that I do no longer deserve. But one I hope I shall do so by allowing you to escape".

"There, see!" Lind said. "There is no need for you to die Jeiko! Weth-"

"But I can't hold them back on my own" the ex-Praetorian said. "I would need someone to help me".

"It's true" Valmeyar said. "Nobody can hold back the entire army on their own; not even you Lord Sukaru".

"But-" Lind said but she was interrupted by Jeiko.

"Lind, I'm sorry but If what Valmeyar has said is true, then we need someone to stop those guns and to hold back the Jötunns. And that someone should be me. Now let me go. You don't have the time to argue with me. Those bombs are going to drop soon and I don't want to see you caught in it".

"But-but-but…" Lind said, glancing around, trying to find someone who would support her. But then a hand was place on her shoulder. It was Jago.

"Lind, let him go. We need to go NOW and if he's willing to help us, then let him". Lind looked pleadingly at him, tears in her eyes.

"Very well" she said, turning to face Jeiko while Jago started to talk to Weth. It was time to say goodbye.

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"I don't want you to go" Lind said. "But I can't see any way of stopping you from going. So here is what I want to say to you Jeiko; I'm sorry. You have always been like a little brother to me. You and I have been friends for years and while I may have been sharp towards you, I always wanted you to be as strong as me". She gently laid a hand on her friend's shoulder and gave a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you Jeiko". Jeiko grinned.

"I'm sorry too Lind. But thank you. Perhaps we'll meet again one day? But either way, you take care of Jago… and the baby. And don't shed any tears for me. I go willingly. All I ask is that you take case of Bifrost for me". Lind nodded and then, ever so gently, she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodbye Jeiko" she said.

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"So… you're finally grew a backbone did you?" Jago asked. Weth nodded.

"Yes. I have chosen my side and while I can't ever expect you to forgive me, perhaps I can hope for one last hurrah to at least partially erase my past sins. I followed through blind loyalty but now-"

"Aren't you doing the exact same thing here?" Jago asked. Weth shrugged.

"Perhaps" she said. "But I feel that you have been a better Master to me in the last month than in all the time that I worked for Deaderuss". She paused and summoned the ever-sharp claymore that Jago had given to her. "I suppose I had better give this back to you" she said, handing it to him. Jago took it and gently patted her on the cheek.

"You're a good girl Weth. And I think it would be best to tell you; I knew you were working for Deaderuss from the beginning". Weth looked shocked.

"You knew? But -"

"Because I saw something in you that I once had in myself. And I was right. You are an amazing young woman Weth… tin legs and all". Weth smiled and she hugged him, almost forcing him to drop his sword.

"Thank you Master" she said. "I just wish I hadn't fucked it up so badly".

"Well you've never fucked up as badly as me" he said. "Now I suggest you get going. I've got to have a quick word with Jeiko".

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"So… Jeiko".

"Jago…"

"You really planning on dying here?"

"If Valmeyar says that someone has to hold the line, then I'm the man for the job". Jago nodded.

"I just wanted to say; it's a shame we never got chance for our rematch. Just you and me. No angels or Opal-essence. Just you and me". Jeiko smiled and nodded.

"Aye. It's one fight I'm sorry we missed". Then he paused, face serious. "Look after Lind for me. I love her as much as you do and if you were ever to hurt her in any way, I would come back from the dead and get you". Jago grinned and the pair both chuckled into silence. Then Jeiko thought of something. "Now my friend, there's something I want you to have". He reached inside his shirt and removed a glowing stone, almost like a crystal. It shifted colours as he held it and he passed it over to Jago. "I don't have time to explain what it is. Ask Lind when you get chance". Jago nodded and he pocketed the stone alongside Gandamak's tooth which was still protecting him from hostile magic and then he paused.

"I have something for you then" and he reached inside his Jacket, pulling out his rumpled packet of cigarettes.

"I don't smoke" Jeiko said with a look of distaste.

"Look mate, just take the damn things. You're walking to your own execution. You deserve a last smoke in the sun". Reluctantly, Jeiko took the packet and pushed them into his shirt. "Now go on mate. You've got a job to do". Jeiko nodded.

"Aye. You'd better get going too. You have three minutes until the bombs drop and I want you to get Lind out of here".

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With a roar, the engine of the last four transports warmed up; two Sea Knights, a Pave Low and the RAF Chinook, Bravo November. Lind and Jago were on one of the Sea Knights, looking out as the big aircraft lifted from the ground. Jeiko turned away from the helicopters as they hovered just below the roof tops, waiting for the signal that he and Weth had cleared the anti-aircraft guns. His heart felt like lead and he knew that this was going to be his final hurrah. And then he felt a hand in his.

"I'm scared" Weth whispered and Jeiko looked at her side on. She was pretty in a beaten up sort of way. Young too… too young for him. And she was obviously nervous. He sighed.

"Weth, yesterday I would have killed you on sight. I would never have thought that today we would die fighting together". Weth nodded.

"If I may ask Lord Sukaru, why did you agree to this? I want to redeem myself but to my knowledge, you have always been loyal to Heaven and the Earth spirits. So why have you agreed to march to your death?" Jeiko shrugged. He told her. It was a simple reason.

"Because it was part of Valmeyar's plan all along".

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On-board the UNS Africa, Captain Wilder finally received the call he was waiting for; the go from Valmeyar.

"Captain Wilder, you are free and clear to commence Operation Hammer Down… God help us all. Helicopters are outbound in sixty seconds".

"Confirmed, Hammer Down is a go". The radio went silent and the Captain turned to the flight control officer. "Give the command; Phoenix is cleared launch".

"Roger that; we have a go on Phoenix. Fighter is rolling". Ten seconds later, a dark grey stealth fighter rolled down the deck before screaming into the sky, banking sharply towards the Gate and then simply disappearing as the active camouflage was activated. Hammer down.

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Jeiko roared, bringing his gravity hammer down hard on the final Zu-23, shattering the gun with a blow that contained all of the power of a collapsed star. Beside him, Weth screamed, slashing with her twin knives, slitting throats and severing tendons. Jeiko clicked on his radio and relayed his message to the waiting helicopters.

"Guns are gone, now get out of here!" He threw down the radio and turned to see another Jötunn charging him. He swung his hammer arm and the giant tried to block the blow with its knife. Big mistake. The hammer transferred all of the power of the tiny black hole contained within directly into the Jötunn's hands, sucking him into the tiny space and then spitting him out at the speed of light and sending him reeling away, a bloody pulp rather than a body. "Oh come on!" Jeiko said. "There has to be one of you better than this!" He ducked under a Praetorian's knife thrust, punched her in the face and then swung the hammer back, striking down the one who was approaching from behind. He then swung forward, striking the first Praetorian on the chin and sending her rocketing upward, so hard and fast that she left her socks behind.

"You knocked her socks off!" Weth said with a smile, laughing and then returned to the fight, hacking and slashing with her twin blades. And then Jeiko's wish was granted. The one for a tougher opponent. The crowd suddenly parted and a pair of shrieking Frost-fiends came storming through.

"AT LAST! A CHALLENGE!" And the pair charge forward, meeting the threat head on. So engrossed were they however, that they ignored the crackle of the radio as it was crushed under foot. If they had listened though, they would have known just how much trouble the transports were in.

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It was a single Jötunn who launched the attack, appearing suddenly in one of the windows of a nearby building, a rifle in his hand.

"GUNNER! HOSTILE RIGHT!" the pilot of Bravo November called out, spotting the enemy soldier instantly but by then it was too late. Even as the first of the helicopters roared skywards, the Jötunn opened fire on the cockpit of the Chinook, killing the co-pilot and wounding the pilot badly. The big helicopter roared as it spun sideways and the gunner opened up with the door mounted mini-gun, tearing the giant apart but by then the damage had been done. He helicopter touched down heavily, bouncing on its landing gear and kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Bravo November was down. Operational but down. They needed a pilot. Jago turned to Lind and she cocked her head.

"What?"

"I can fly that thing" he said. "It's a Chinook and I've flown on before. And they NEED a pilot". Lind looked as if she was about to object but Jago didn't give her chance. He simply dropped from the hovering Sea Knight as it began its climb above the roofs and all Lind could do was watch as Jago disappeared from view. The man in question allowed Lamb and Damascus to deploy their wings, slowing his decent and allowing him to land safely. He then ran over to the big bird and clambered up past the tail gunner to be met by the crew chief. "How bad are they?"

"One's dead, the other's hurt bad" the crew chief said and Jago nodded.

"I'll fly us". The man looked sceptical.

"Are you qualified to fly a Chinook?"

"Nope but you don't have a lot of pilots around and we have… less than two minutes until the bombs drop". The man nodded and allowed Jago past. He ducked into the cockpit and dropped into one of the seats.

_"Master_?" Damascus asked from inside his head. "_Have you really flown one of these before?"_

_"Nope. Seems like a good day to learn right?"_ And with a roar, the big bird lifted from the ground as Jago glanced out of the shattered windows. Fifty souls were on their way.

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Jeiko gave a yell as the Frost-fiend's claws raked his side, sending him spinning away. He landed, dragged himself up and then growled. These things were just too powerful! He watched as Weth Charged in and stabbed one in the wing membrane, tearing the delicate skin across its length. The beast snarled and knocked her aside, only for her to land in front of the second monster which struck down with its beak. She scrabbled backward, dodging the blows but it was clear that she was tiring. In fact they both were. Jeiko only had enough power for one more strike. Better make it a good one. And so, he morphed his arm into the mightiest of mighty weapons; a huge iron fist with spiked knuckles, the whole contraption far larger than his body. And he bellowed into battle. He took the first by surprise, punching it with his iron fist and sending it flying backwards. He then turned his attention to the second monster, just in time to see it skewer Weth through the side with its beak and lift her screaming from the ground.

"OI! DROP HER!" he bellowed and the monster turned to face him. It clacked its beak, letting Weth drop and then stepped over her, snarling. "IF YOU WANT TO FIHGT ANYONE, WHY NOT FIGHT SOMEONE WITH THE HARWARE TO FIGHT BACK?" The monster hissed and then it charged, galloping on all fours as it closed the distance between them, braying as it came. Jeiko bellowed and charged and the pair crashed together like a pair of warring gorillas; talking each other, trying to gain the advantage by getting his arm above his opponent's and then beating them down. But Jeiko was at a disadvantage. He only had one fighting arm, his foe had two. He felt the claws rake his body, tearing through muscle and snapping bone. He felt his blood spill forth, further staining the ground red. He felt the bionic muscle groan and strain as it fought against the might of the monster. He was losing. There was only one thing for it. "VENT COOLANT!" he shouted and the Frost-fiend shrieked as a thousand gallons of liquid nitrogen washed across its face, instantly freezer-burning the flesh. And then the shriek stopped. The monster had been frozen solid. With a final grunt of effort, Jeiko swung his fist around and shattered the monster into fragments. He grinned. "Not so tough". And then he screamed as the other Frost-fiend came from behind and plunged its claws into his back, lifting him into the air by his ribs. "Fuck" he swore, a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "I forgot about you". The monster hissed in what could almost have been described as mirth and then leaned back, preparing to strike.

"RAGING INFERNO BLADE!" A wave of heat struck him and he gasped as every wound on his body was instantly cauterized by the flames. But the monster was even worse off. Its body was vaporized by the flame, disintegrating into ashes and dropping Jeiko painfully to the floor. And he groaned as Weth staggered over to him, offering him her one good hand.

"Not bad… for a kid".

"If this was any other time or any other person, I would punch you right in the middle of your face for that" Weth said. "But as it is, I've lost too much blood to care". The pair sat down heavily looking around at the destruction they had wrought upon their enemies. Between them, more than a thousand Jötunns had fallen, not counting the Frost-fiends, plus nearly fifty Praetorians each. And they both knew they were dying. Weth was losing blood by the pint, with it pulsing from her arm which had been ripped nearly clean off by the monster's beak while Jeiko looked as if he had been run over several times and then dropped into a furnace. Tiredly, he reached inside his shirt and pulled out Jago's cigarettes and then opened the plasma core that powered his mechanical right arm, using it to light up. He also gave himself a huge dose of radiation but who cared? He was dead anyway. He took a drag and coughed, the noxious fumes filling his lungs.

"Bloody Hell" he swore, catching Weth's attention.

"Can I have a go?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"You over eighteen?" he asked.

"I'm more than seventeen-thousand years old" she said.

"Close enough". He passed it to her and she took a puff.

"UHH! It's vile! How can Jago smoke these things?"

"I was thinking the same thing". Jeiko said and held out his hand for the cigarette back. A shadow fell across them. They looked up. There was a Jötunn chief standing above them. He looked pissed.

8888

Lind watched anxiously as the seconds ticked by, waiting for Jago's aircraft to appear.

"Bloody fool, bloody fool, bloody, fool, bloody fool, bloody Hell, come on!" she said getting steadily louder as she went.

"That guy important to you?" the tail gunner asked. Lind nodded.

"I'm married to him". And then she gave a deep sigh as Bravo November roared up, flying above the buildings, the bigger Chinook easily keeping pace with Lind's Sea Knight. "Oh thank god!" she said, visibly relieved. She watched Jago's helicopter closing in on hers and then smiled as she spotted him in the pilot seat. He was WAVING at her! She couldn't help but chuckle. Above the ruins of a once mighty city; one that had seen enough destruction to shatter the mind, a simple wave was enough to relieve all of the day's pressure for Lind. But then she stiffened. She could sense something. And then she saw it. A slight rippling in the air as SOMETHING invisible roared past them and then, just for a second, the object uncloaked. It was a fighter jet, that was certain. But it was like no fighter she had ever seen. Its wings were swept forward and it had both a pair of forward canards and a set of tail stabilisers but none in on the vertical plane. The entire plane was completely flat on top, except for bubble of the canopy. It was the F/A 41. The plane the called Phoenix. And she saw the bomb separate. And she knew she had been betrayed. Even as the plane became invisible once more, she knew this was the aircraft was the Hammer Down jet. But if only one bomb was being dropped, it could only mean one thing; it was nuclear. She covered her eyes just in time as the weapon detonated with the light of the sun. And then Lind's helicopter roared through the Gate and into safety. But Jago's didn't follow. It had been caught in the blast.

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"I will give you this offer just once" the Jötunn said, growling from between tombstone teeth. "Surrender or die". Jeiko snorted and then he spat in the giant's face.

"Go to Hell" he said. Then the giant roared and heft him in its hand, dangling him from the ground by his neck.

"I was hoping you would say that Jeiko Sukaru!" the giant sneered. "You and your traitor girlfriend will be eaten!"

"No we won't" Jeiko said, gasping around the giant's hand. And he pointed upwards. "Headache!" And then the bomb exploded.

8888

The weapon that the Phoenix had deployed was called a W79. It was neither a thermonuclear device or an atomic bomb but an entirely different beast. It was what they called a neutron bomb. In structure, it was similar to a nuclear weapon but function and effect, it was very different. The way that a nuclear bomb works is this; a bullet of radioactive material is fired into a canister of another radioactive material which starts a fission reaction, splitting the atoms inside into ever smaller pieces. The energy is then stored inside a super tough shell, usually a titanium and lead alloy, that contains the blast until it reaches a critical mass of high pressure hydrogen ions and the weapon detonates essentially burst with a wall of heat, pressure and radiation. But the process is different in a neutron bomb. While the initial reaction is the same as that of a nuke, instead of being constructed of a super tough alloy, the outer shell of a neutron bomb is made of aluminium which shatters at a much lower level of pressure. This means that the reaction builds up much less pressure and so, the energy is converted into other mediums. There is no pressure wave and very little blast damage. There IS a fireball but it is much smaller than that of a standard nuclear device. No; a neutron bomb's power comes in the form of radiation. A nuclear bomb produces a great deal of radiation but a neutron bomb's is far more penetrative and much more deadly. It is said that it is the weapon of the weapon of the capitalist; leaving hostile infrastructure intact while killing the actual hostiles. And while the radiation is far more deadly and in greater quantities than a nuke, it is much less stable than that of a nuke. A nuke makes a place uninhabitable for millions of years after detonation, part of the reason Lind had refused to allow proper nuclear weapons. An area struck by a neutron bomb can be safely resettled after a month. This is why Valmeyar had allowed it. It was a WMD with only a short term effect. Heaven could be reclaimed. But now though, everything was dying. And Bravo November, delayed as it was by Jago having to replace the pilot, was caught in the blast. Both engines flared and died as the electromagnetic pulse released by the weapon fried the aircraft's delicate circuitry. The aircraft began to spin. They were going down.

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"EMP!" someone shouted as the engines flamed out and the twenty ton helicopter began to spin, spiralling out of control.

"WE'VE LOST ALL POWER!" Jago bellowed, desperately trying to wrestle with the unresponsive controls, working the hydraulics for all he was worth, trying to keep the aircraft stable. It was hopeless. The aircraft went into a flat spin, shrieking as it plummeted from the sky. They only had one hope. "LAMB! MOVE THAT GATE!"

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Jago groaned deeply. He ached all over. A deep ache that seemed to go all the way from his hair to his bones. Yes, even his hair ached. But there was something else. A steady beeping noise. And he had a tube in his mouth. Slowly he opened his eyes and then groaned again at the bright light that glared down from above. A hospital room. He pulled the tube from his mouth with a gasp. And then he heard a welcome voice.

"Jago? JAGO!" Lind glomped him, pulling him into a tight hug. "OH JAGO, THANK GOD! I THOUGHT WE LOST YOU!" Lind leaned back, crying openly and then kissed him wetly. Finally she released him and smiled. "Oh Jago, don't scare me like that again! Are you alright?" Jago grinned weakly.

"I think so. I feel like I've been given the once over with a steak tenderiser but other than that, I'm fine. What the Hell happened? The last thing I remember is flying that damn helicopter and then some idiot detonated some kind of high powered nuclear device that fried all my circuitry".

"That's exactly what happened". Jago looked up to see a man standing in the door. He looked about fifty, with grey hair and the uniform of a navy that he didn't recognise. Judging from the accent through, he was American. "Captain Wilder" the man said, stepping forward and shaking Jago's hand. "Commander of the Mobile Sea Base UNS Africa and if I might say so son, you are damned lucky to be alive! I've never seen someone pilot a helicopter like that, not after losing all power".

"Well what exactly happened?"

"After the bomb went off, you somehow managed to pull that bird out of a spin for long enough to feather the props and slow your descent, thereby preventing a full speed crash... just as well to. If you'd hit the deck any harder, you'd have snapped that bird in two".

"So where exactly did I land?"

"Like I said; you hit the deck. I meant it literally. That angel-girl of yours moved that damn Gate thing right over the top of us and then, all of a sudden, a powerless Chinook comes screaming out of it and crashes half way down the left runway! Do you have any idea how long it's going to be until we get those repairs done?"

"Bill me" Jago said. "So where are my girls?" he said to Lind. "Are they alright?"

"They're fine. In fact, they're in better condition than you are. They only left just now to find some coffee. Not easy on a ship of this size". Jago nodded with a grin but then he paused.

"Wait a minute; Captain Wilder was it? What kind of bomb did you drop?"

"Jago, you've only just woken up. You need to rest! You-"

"This is important Lind" Jago said. "Now tell me Captain, exactly what kind of bomb did you use?"

"A W79" Wilder said. Jago was silent for a few seconds and then he took a deep breath.

"YOU IDIOT!" he shouted. "HAVE YOU GOT ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID?"

"What?" Wilder said, confused. "I was told to commence Hammer Down. I don't see-"

"You must have killed at least a million Jötunns with that strike, am I right?"

"Well our preliminary scouts suggest that is roughly-"

"YOU DAMN FOOL! THAT'S EXACLTY WHAT DEADERUSS WANTED! HE NEEDED TWENTY THOSUSAND GODS AND DEMONS TO DIE, AS WELL AS A MILLION JOTUNNS, TO LET KRONOS THROUGH! CONGRADUALTIONS, YOU'VE OPENED THE GATES TO THE HELL SO BAD, THAT NORMAL HELL IS CONSIDERED A NICE PLACE TO LIVE BY COMPARISION! KRONOS IS FREE!"

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_In the prison world of Ginnungagap, something stirred. Something, vast, powerful and malignant. Kronos grinned. And then he began to move. Down below, countless legions of Death Gleaners began to panic, trying desperately to hold back the impossibly powerful beast that was Kronos. But they could not stop him. Nothing could. And like a pile of dry leaves, they were simply swept aside as the titan took his first step for millennia. _

_"I'M FREE!"_

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Atop the highest tower of the central palace of Heaven, Deaderuss smiled. Beautiful . The humans had done exactly what he had planned. He had known about Valmeyar's final strike since the plan had first been formulated between her and the Almighty One and he had turned it against itself. It had prevented Heaven falling. But it had killed enough Jötunns and Praetorians to open the gates of Ginnungagap. The survivors had fled, retreating back towards Jötunnheim, to lick their wounds and regroup. And so Deaderuss had won. Heaven was his. And then, with a crackle of energy, the clouds parted and his Master appeared. Deaderuss dropped to his knees as the eye of Kronos, vast beyond reckoning, glared down at the him from above. And Deaderuss smiled.

"My Lord, I have restored you".

"WELL DONE MY SON" Kronos rumbled. "YOU HAVE DONE WELL THIS DAY".

"You are too kind my Lord" Deaderuss said, bowing even lower.

"IS THE WORLD READY FOR MY RETURN? ARE YOU WILLING TO SERVE ME AS YOU ONCE PROMISED?"

"Indeed I am my Lord. But if I might be so bold, would you be willing to fulfil your end of the deal?"

"VERY WELL" the titan rumbled. "THE ONE WINGED VALKYRIE SHALL BE YOURS. MIND, BODY AND SOUL. SHE IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING".

"Thank you my Lord. But what of my other matter? My affliction?" Kronos was silent for a second, seeming to consider something before he spoke again.

"IHAVE GIVEN YOU REQUST MUCH THOUGH. BUT I AM UNABLE TO GIVE YOU AN ANGEL. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT EVEN I AM UNABLE TO DO".

"But my Lord! You promised!"

"SILENCE!" roared the titan. "YOU FORGET WHO YOU SPEAK TO LORD DEADERUSS! I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! THE GREAT ETERNAL ONE! DO NOT TRY MY PATIENCE!"

"Yes my Lord" Deaderuss said fearfully. "Of course my Lord".

"GOOD. NOW, I HAVE GIVEN THIS SOME THOUGHT AND I HAVE REACHED THIS CONCLUDSION. YOU ARE UNABLE TO SUPPORT AN ANGEL OR A DEVIL. THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THIS AS YOU CANNOT EVEN SUPPORT ONE OF THOSE WRETCHED ARCHS. SO WHAT I SHALL DO IS PROVIDE YOU WITH THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE".

"What alternative?" Deaderuss demanded.

"EMPTINESS" And then Deaderuss screamed as SOMETHING crawled deep inside his soul. Something cold and hard and emotionless. Something… empty. And far more powerful than any single angel. And Deaderuss smiled.

"Come my sweet" he said. "Let us pay a visit to Earth. I am sure the Paladin will be dying to meet you".

**Authors Note: Well that was fun wasn't it? Kronos is free, Heaven has fallen, Deaderuss has just had an upgrade and… well you read the chapter so you know the rest. So, on a scale of one to Terminator, how screwed are they? It would be interesting to see what you think.**

**Also, thanks again to my friend J4RRE77 for allowing me to use his character Jeiko Sukaru from his fic, Lind's Long Lost Love (very good, well worth a read). I hope I did his justice!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

**Revelation of Heaven**

Lind groaned and dry heaved, having nothing left to vomit.

"How long is morning sickness supposed to last?" she asked, not bothering to look up at Jago as he ran the razor across his face.

"For a human woman? I think between the third and sixth months of pregnancy. Something about it being most vulnerable point for a developing foetus and your body trying to rid itself of toxins. But for you? No idea. You've had morning sickness pretty much since day one and you've got…" he paused and counted off on his fingers, "sixteen months I think you said". Lind sighed and wiped her mouth before standing and turning to leave the bathroom.

"Why do I bother to keep you around?" she asked with fake exasperation.

"Comic relief. Now go on; you've gotta get yourself tarted up. This meeting is gonna be important".

"No peeking" she said, kissing his cheek and then patting it with her hand before leaving the room to their shared quarters. It had been a couple of hours since Jago had recovered from the helicopter crash, twelve since Hammer Down. Once Jago was sufficiently well to walk, they had been led to their temporary quarters; an officer's room on-board the UNS Africa. From there, they had coordinated with Captain Wilder to arrange a video conference with various human commanders and heads of state to establish the exact nature of the situation they were facing and to plan their next move. But for now, their time was their own and they were free to prepare in their own way.

"So what're your plans Lind?" Jago asked, trimming his sideburns with the old cut-throat razor. "Are you seriously considering a full revelation of Heaven and Hell?"

"Yes" Lind said. "We don't exactly have a great deal of choice now do we?" It was true. Considering the combined effect of one of the largest military and evacuation operations that had ever occurred, the sudden appearance of Avalon and arrival of more than thirty-thousand goddesses and demons on Earth, there was pretty much no way that they could remain hidden now.

"I suppose not" Jago said. "So what are you planning for this meeting?"

"Well I need to organise a press conference for the big announcement" Lind said and then swore to herself. "Dammit" she said and there was a brief flash of light from the room.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… needed a bigger bra. This is getting ridiculous". Jago shook his head, trying to dispel the image he had in mind…

"Right, you were saying about your plans?" he said hastily.

"Oh yes. I want to find out exactly all of the remaining goddesses are. This is a big ship but I doubt they have enough room for thirty-thousand deities. I also want to set about establishing a formal embassy. And I've also got to convince them that YOU need full autonomy. You may be technical Guardian of Earth and all but I know what humans are like for getting involved. And bureaucracy! I hate the paperwork!"

"Is it because some of the words have more than three letters?" Lind snorted.

"Cheek". Jago flicked the last few flecks of shaving foam from his razor and wiped his face clean with a cloth.

"Well you're the Almighty One now, at least until we can figure out where they took Hild and Lord Tyr. Paperwork kinds comes with the territory".

"That's far too true" Lind said and then she re-entered the bathroom. "So what do you think? How much of a twerp do I look?" Jago glanced across at her and…

"Holy smoke" he said softly. He had suggested that Lind should swap her Valkyrie's uniform for something that could be called "thinking man's crumpet". That is to say, sexy but not sexual; the cloths of a smart, self-assured woman who could use her "feminine whiles" to charm men. And while thinking man's crumpet would not be a phrase that would be associated with Lind, in this case, she had managed to pull it off. Her usual leathers had been replaced by a pale blue business suit that matched her hair and eyes, consisting of a jacket, a shirt and a skirt that finished just above the knees, plus tights and a pair of blue heels.

"You're staring" she said with a raised eyebrow and then took a step forward, only to stumble and for him to catch her. "How the Hell do women wear these thing? I'm going to break an ankle before we even start!"

"But you look cute" Jago said.

"If you ever say that again, I WILL hit you" Lind said but she smiled. "But thanks".

"Well you look good, no matter what you think".

"So I don't look like a twerp?"

"Well I wouldn't say that… but you look better like this than I did in my official getup".

"True" Lind said. She stood again and tried to stagger out through the door but staggered again, almost falling. "Oh fuck it!" she said and snapped her fingers, replacing the heels with dark blue leather boots. "That's better" she said, stamping her feet. "Right then, shall we go?" Jago paused and tapped his chin.

"Just give me a few seconds… I have something for you". He reached into his pocket and he brought out a tiny paper parcel, handing it to her. Lind took it and gently unwrapped it; a necklace of her two angels, of silver, gold and white gold, entwined with each other, each with her single wing outstretched and smiling. Tiny gems were set in their eyes; rubies for Spear Mint, sapphires for Cool Mint. A tiny piece of filigree.

"It's beautiful" she said. "But when did you get time to make this?"

"It was the last thing I made at the forge before this all kicked off. I was planning to give it to you on the last night at the hotel but…" He drifted into silence and Lind held him close.

"I understand. We were kinda busy". And they both just stood for a second, holding one another. And they both cried silently.

"We have both lost so much…" Lind said. "I lost my closest friend, my mentor, my dear half-sister and for a while, I lost Cool Mint… So much death and destruction…"

"I lost my apprentice; that brilliant, misguided fool of a girl. And I almost lost you Lind. And I don't know whether my family survived. Bob may all I have left".

"Now that I can give you some good news for". Lind took a step back and dried her eyes on her sleeve. "If they had been killed then Yggdrasil would have likely been destroyed too… and the fact that the world still continues to run is evidence that they're still alive".

"Small mercies" Jago said and then shook himself as Lind pulled out her enormous spotted handkerchief, using it to blow her nose. "Right… I'm good. I can have a breakdown later".

"Aye" said Lind. "Now would you mind helping me put this on?" She held out the necklace and Jago nodded. She turned and he fastened it around her neck, smiling.

"There you go; smart as a carrot half scraped".

"Is that good or bad?" she said, leaning forward to inspect it in the mirror.

"It's good. At least, I've always assumed so".

"Well thank you. It's beautiful".

"Now all you have to do is make one of each of us and we'll be set" said Cool Mint, rising from behind her Mistress.

"And you'll need to update them. Cool Mint and I have TWO wings each now" said Spear Mint, smiling ruefully at Jago.

"We'll see" he said, grinning hugely. "Now then, we'd better get going. We've got some important people to talk to". He re-entered the bedroom, scooping up a clean shirt that had been provided for him and slipping it on, followed by his hat and jacket.

"And why exactly do you get to wear something like that?" Lind inquired. "Especially if I have to wear THIS?" She gestured at her business suit and Jago shrugged.

"I'm not the one who has to impress the leaders of the free world" he said. "Most of them will be men and the more attention they're paying to your legs and bust, the less they'll be actually paying attention to what you're saying, which means you can trick them into doing things they might not otherwise agree too". Lind paused, considering this.

"That-that is actually a sound tactical strategy. Is that why Peorth dresses like she does? To distract her opponents? If so, I may need to consider redesigning the Valkyrie uniforms. "

"Yeah, it's probably why she does" Jago said. "That and the fact that she's sex mad…"

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"So why exactly did Lind want us at this meeting?" Keiichi asked as he and Belldandy were stood outside the conference room.

"I'm… not sure" Belldandy said. "But whatever it is, it's probably important". They heard the sound of footsteps coming from further down corridor and turned expecting to see Lind. But while it was a Valkyrie, it wasn't Lind; it was Valmeyar. Her Praetorian's uniform had been swapped for a Valkyrie's combat leathers, but without the subtle shoulder and knuckle symbols of any particular cohort… not that it really mattered. So few Valkyries were still combat capable that they barely had enough fighters for a single cohort, never mind multiple ones and so it made sense to wear an unmarked uniform. But Belldandy's face became sour as she approached, beginning to frown. "Valmeyar, Lind summoned you too?"

"Of course" Valmeyar said. "I'm the last of the Lords of Heaven… all the rest are dead. The entire Heavenly council is gone and so, Lind asked me to be present. Plus I am still the technical commander of the Praetorians, as well as Heaven's military". Belldandy nodded but still looked angry.

"That may be so but what you did is unforgivable! You almost singlehandedly destroyed Heaven and killed all of those people!"

"I was following orders" Valmeyar said simply. "I was tasked by Lord Tyr to prevent the city from falling into enemy hands. I did this. The fact that the city was destroyed in the process was an unfortunate but necessary step".

"You ordered the deployment of a neutron bomb!"

"Lind simply said I was to prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb; nothing about a neutron based weapon".

"YOU KILLED ONE MILLION PEOPLE AND ALLOWED KRONOS TO ESCAPE!" This time Valmeyar didn't have an answer, just stared at Belldandy who glowered back at her, making Keiichi shift uneasily.

"Come on you two!" he said as he felt the air between the pair crackle between them with strong magic. "This isn't time to fight!"

"You think you can take me on in a fair fight?" Valmeyar said.

"Maybe not in strength but I still have more magic than you do…" Belldandy said, flexing her hand as sparks flew across the surface. Keiichi was beginning to panic. He had never seen Belldandy this angry before.

"PLEASE STOP!" he shouted, waving his arms desperately, trying to get their attention.

"Is everything alright here?" That broke the tension and the two goddesses glanced to see Lind and Jago facing them from down the hall.

"Everything's fine" Belldandy said, turning away from Valmeyar.

"Well that's good" Lind said, "because we're about to speak to some of the most powerful people in this world and I need my military attaché and my ambassador for this". It took a moment for the pair to realise what Lind was talking about but then they twigged.

"Ambassador?" Belldandy asked.

"Military attaché?" asked Valmeyar.

"Of course. I trust the pair of you and I need all the help I can get here. I'm not a politician; I'm a soldier. I'm gonna need your support for this". The pair nodded but then Lind paused, cocking her head. "Where are Urd and Hagall? It would be easier for us if they were here? And what about Skuld? I could do with our cultural attaché here".

"I don't know about Skuld but Urd is busy. She's in the medical bay, trying to do what she can for the injured, of which I must say, there are a considerable number. Hagall is on-board the HMAS Toowoomba; an Australian navy ship on long range escort for THIS ship".

"Why isn't she here?"

"This ship is big but it can only take so many evacuees. The last I heard, the survivors are scattered across nearly a dozen warships within a hundred mile radius". Lind nodded.

"And Skuld?" Belldandy shook her head.

"I told her to take the rest of the day off" she said. "She saw far too much death and destruction up close than someone of her age should ever have seen. So for once I've allowed her to indulge her hobby. Last I heard, she was on the flight deck, taking apart jets to see how they could be improved". Lind nodded again.

"I suppose that's fair" she said.

"Besides, she got my flag back" Jago said. "We let her have some quiet for now".

"Well then we'd better get on" Valmeyar said. "I suggest you lead the way, Almighty One and I hope you're ready". Lind nodded and she took the lead of the little group, Valmeyar and Belldandy close behind, with Jago and Keiichi bringing up the rear.

"I like Lind's new look" Keiichi said. "But… knee high leather boots and a skirt?"

"The skirt was my idea" Jago admitted, "but she chose the boots… now eyes front! She's MINE!"

"I heard that" Lind said, earning a sheepish look from Jago. But then it faded as they pushed open the door of the conference room and entered to see a mass of TV screens surrounding a desk. Each screen held the face of a representative of state.

"Welcome" said one of the people of the screens. "I am President Obama of the United States of America. On behalf of the people of Earth, I welcome you". Lind bowed her head.

"Thank you, Lord Obama. I am Lind Valmeyar-daughter, goddess First Class, Special Category, Unlimited Licence, Captain of the First Valkyrie cohort and at least for the time being, the Almighty One. I am pleased to meet you all".

8888

The discussion was brief. The world leaders had wanted to confirm that Lind and the other goddesses were indeed what they claimed to be which was simple; the angels were called forth, silencing critics. Then they wanted to know whether Lind really intended to do a full revelation of Heaven and Hell to the world.

"Indeed I do" she said. "There is no point in hiding any longer. For too long we have hidden in the shadows, trying to influence the world from beyond its borders. Now we have nowhere else we can hide and as you have been kind enough to help us in our time of need, I have decided that Heaven should come forth in full revelation. Now, I cannot vouch for Hell as their representatives are currently unavailable but I am sure that they agree with my approach". There was muttered conversation amongst the various leaders as they discussed this.

"This is certainly intriguing" one of them said. "But won't this have severe political consequences? Many people are deeply religious and they may feel that the sudden appearance of a group of beings claiming to be gods is an affront to their beliefs".

"I'm afraid that is an unavoidable consequence of the revelation. If it is any consolation, we do not claim anything; we are what we are. I am confident that upon seeing our power… what is left of it that is, we shall be able to convince them that we are genuine. But if it makes you feel any better, we have no intention of ruling the Earth. We plan to simply coexist as we have for millennia, nothing more". There was more muttered conversation.

"You say that you have been influencing the world "from the shadows". How exactly do you mean?"

"We goddesses use human energy to power ourselves, as do demons. To achieve this, we grant wishes to a select few who we deem worthy; people go to great lengths and expend much energy to achieve their dreams and we allow this to happen, in return for that investment of energy. It's a complicated but fairly balanced system that ensures that no one party ever really has a majority. We goddesses have greater access to Earth that demons but we only grant wishes to a select few who we believe are virtuous enough to deserve it them". She paused and waved a hand at Keiichi. "Mr Morisato here is a good example. He earned a wish from Heaven and it was granted, meaning that Belldandy", she waved at her half-sister, "would stay with him forever. Fortunately, the system has since been readjusted so that a wish like that can no longer be made. On top of that, we are each only allowed to grant a single wish at a time so that people can't simply wish for one after another. Demons use a different system. It is phenomenally difficult for a demon to reach the Earth… I only know of a handful in the last few years who have been able to do so, with only two having wish granting abilities. Once on Earth, they may grant as many wishes as they please until they return to Hell but each wish comes with a string attached; the wisher must give something of equal value to the wish granted. For example, if someone wanted to destroy the world, they would need to destroy another world to achieve this. It's what keeps the system in balance and prevents anything stupid from happening. Demons usually grant large numbers of small wishes to many people while we goddesses generally focus on large single wishes to a virtuous few. That's why nothing has ever happened to disrupt the world in any real sense".

"But what if something did happen? What if for example, one of your wishes went haywire and it cause all kinds of problems?"

"Then it would be up to me to fix it" Jago said, stepping forwards.

"And who are you?"

"Jago Finch, Demi-god First Class, Special Category, Paladin Licence, at your service". He doffed his hat and bowed low. "If anything were to go wrong or the system were to become imbalanced, it's my job to fix things… with extreme prejudice if need be. Technically speaking, I'm neutral but in practice, I'm more Heaven aligned than Hell. That doesn't really mean a great deal though as demons are only about half way down the sliding scale of evil. Trust me when I say there are far worse things out there".

"What do you mean you're a demi-god?" someone asked.

"Well I'm actually human. In fact I WAS a student but… well, to make a long story short, I tried to save a dying Valkyrie but was only able to save her angel. One thing led to another and as such, I ended up as the protector of all realms until such time as the High Council… what's left of it… decided that I am no longer necessary or I'm killed". Silence. "As a nice bonus, I'm also immortal, as is my friend Mr Morisato. But his was purely coincidental. Mine is part of the job description".

"So the fate of the world rests on an empowered student with little or no experience?"

"Exactly. That and my girls". With that, both Lamb and Damascus appeared, startling the watchers. "They keep me in line and stop me from doing anything stupid. And before you ask, no not just any human can support something like them. You need… well, I won't tell you that. But mine are Archs. Greater power in certain fields but reduced power in others and able to support themselves without assistance. I'm basically just a glorified sleeping-bag". There was more muttering from the watchers as they continued to discuss this but eventually they seemed to accept this. But then it got to the difficult bit; military threats. This is where Valmeyar came in. She explained how technically Heaven and Earth were in a constant state of Cold War, although the current ceasefire and the recent regime change would probably mean a temporary end to the war. Then she explained about the other threats; the Jötunns, the traitorous Praetorians and worst of all, about Kronos. And that caused quite a stir.

"So this Kronos character, he's truly bent on destroying the world?"

"Yes".

"Is there any way we can reason with him?"

"None" said Valmeyar. "All he wants is to destroy the universe. He's not exactly a nice guy".

"Are you sure? Surely-"

"I helped to imprison the bastard, nearly a million years ago after he ordered the destruction of the human race! There is no reasoning with this guy! The only mystery is why he has yet to come to Earth… he is easily capable of jumping between worlds. By all rights he should be here by now".

"Perhaps he is still trapped?" someone said. "You said that he was imprisoned in this… this prison world of yours. Perhaps he's still there?"

"No, he's out" Lind said. And her eyes turned gold. "And now I have a question for you all; who authorised the use of a neutron bomb in Heaven? And don't give the crap that Wilder did. I want the honest answer. Who did it?" Someone cleared there throat.

"Lind, when contact was made with the United Nations by someone called…" the man glanced at a sheet of paper, "he authorized the use of any weapon if it meant that… Heaven… wasn't captured and this included the provision of nuclear and near-nuclear devices".

"But I specifically stated that no nuclear weapons were to be used! Valmeyar-"

"You told me that I was not to sanction the use of nuclear weapons. You didn't say anything about neutron bombs. If you must blame anybody, blame me Lind". Lind turned to face her mother, her face lined with sorrow.

"You did this?" she asked softly. Valmeyar nodded. Lind sighed. The room exploded.

8888

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" Lind shrieked as she punched through bulkhead after bulkhead, holding her mother before her by the throat. They roared through at the speed of sound until they punched through the outer hull of the ship and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean. Behind them Jago, Belldandy, Keiichi and the assorted collection of world leaders looked out with astonishment.

"Bugger, I was afraid she might do that. I almost di myself" Jago said. "Right, I'm going after them. Belldandy, you're the diplomat. Do diplomacy until I get back. I can't have those to killing each other while there's a war on… or worse, tearing the bloody ship to bits around them. With that, he took off through the hole, following the warring mother and daughter. Belldandy turned to the screens, clearing her throat gingerly.

"Right…" she said. "Who would be willing to discuss a trade agreement?"

"If I might ask something, why are they trying to kill each other?"

"It's because while Valmeyar is Lind's mother, she went behind her back when she authorized that bomb. And that's not only a breach of Lind's trust and authority, it's made her job incredibly difficult… especially when Kronos shows up. Now, trade…"

8888

Two and a half below the fleet, the two Valkyries clashed, illuminated by the light of deep-sea volcanos. Lind swung her fist around, ducking under Valmeyar's guard as her mother sort to block her. The older warrior saw this move coming and brought up her right leg, blocking the blow with her thigh, then used her momentum to aim a sharp kick at Lind's head. Lind blocked with her forearm and then aimed her own kick at her mother's head. Valmeyar leaned back, dodging the blow and they spun apart to face one-another.

"_HOW COULD YOU!?" _Lind demanded via a mental link. "_I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU BETRAYED ME!" _She shot forward at the same instant as Valmeyar did and the pair collided so hard, they blow an air pocket in the ocean that rapidly collapsed in on them as they exchanged blows once more.

"_I HAD TO DO SOMETHING!"_ Valmeyar retorted, deflecting Lind's blows. "_YOU SAW IT YOURSELF! HEAVEN WAS OVERRUN! BOTH YOUR FATHER AND YOU SAID I WAS TO DEFEND HEAVEN BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!"_

_"BUT NOT A FUCKING NEUTRON BOMB!"_

_"IT WASN'T A NUKE!"_

_"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" _With a roar, Lind struck Valmeyar on the chin, sending her rocketing up towards the surface. She then crouched and using her angels to boost her, she shot after her using her four wings to increase her speed, buoyed by righteous fury. She was going to make her mother pay for her treachery!

8888

Valmeyar slammed down onto the deck of the Africa, gasping for breath as she struggled onto her hands and knees.

"Hey, are you alright?" a crewman said, hurrying over to her but then stopped as Lind erupted from the surface of the ocean, before crashing down onto the deck of the ship with such force that she left dents in the armoured runway. She slowly made her way towards Valmeyar, her eyes glowing gold, her form intimidating to the wary crew. And terrifying she was; with her business suit replaced by her battle worn combat leathers and her eyes glowing gold as she burned at full power. Valmeyar struggled to her feet, her own eyes flashing gold and she launched herself at her daughter who dodged first one punch and then another, before delivering a crippling blow to her mother's stomach, sending Valmeyar flying back, crashing into one of the vehicle hangers that dotted the deck of the great ship, leaving her embedded in the great metal structure. Lind walking calmly towards her as she pulled herself clear of the building. Lind threw a powerful left hook which Valmeyar blocked and then she dodged as Lind hurled a straight right at her head, striking the side of the hanger, punching through the hardened steel. Valmeyar sidestepped and kicked Lind in the back, slamming her daughter into the building. She then grasped Lind by the collar, pulled her back and slammed her face first into the hanger.

"I did what I had to do Lind!" she hissed as she pinned her struggling daughter against the steel. "What would you have done in my position?" Lind didn't answer, simply slipped her leg around her mother's and then tripped her, sending them both spinning to the deck. She recovered first and with a roar, she launched herself at Valmeyar. But this time, Valmeyar was ready for her and summoned her hammer, catching it in both hands before bringing it down on Lind with both hands, sending her daughter through the deck of the carrier, to the floors below.

8888

Skuld sighed as she continued to inspect the engines of the half-dismantled Harrier jet she was working on. Why did human technology have to be so primitive? If her modifications worked, then this sub-sonic plane should be able to go three times faster, with an increased range and payload and range, without compromising the vertical take-off abilities of the jet. The modifications were so simple, she was surprised that the humans hadn't thought to do them themselves!

"Is this the spanner you were looking for?" Noble Scarlet asked, holding up the tool. Skuld frowned, pulling up her goggles and wiping her oil stained face on her sleeve, which only served to spread the grease more evenly.

"I asked for three-quarters, not five-eighths" she said and her angel nodded, turning back to the tool set. They were both tired but they needed to keep their minds occupied, especially after all they had seen today. Right now, rest was the last thing they wanted and if that meant redesigning Harrier jets from the ground up, then so be it. But then they were suddenly interrupted as something punched through from the deck above and crashed into the floor, leaving a dent in deck.

"TREACHEROUS BITCH!" Lind shouted, pulling herself from the dented deck and propping herself up on her elbows. Then she noticed Skuld and Noble Scarlet who were huddled fearfully under the wing of the jet and she saluted them with a flick of her fingers. "Afternoon you two" she said, pulling herself to her feet.

"Um… hey Li- Almighty One" Skuld said nervously, making Lind sigh.

"It's still Lind to you. How many times do I have to say this to people? Besides, you're my little sister now". Then she paused and nodded to the Harrier. "Nice jet. Mind if I borrow it?"

"Go ahead" said Noble Scarlet as Lind grasped the aircraft by its tail section and started dragging it towards the nearest aircraft lift. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do with it?" Lind shrugged as she pressed the button that started the lift upwards.

"I'm going to kill my mother".

8888

Valmeyar sighed as she looked down through the hole she had created in the deck of the ship, grasping her hammer in one hand. Lind had punched through four decks of armoured steel on the way down, meaning she was probably going to be in some serious pain, no matter how tough she was.

"Silly girl" she muttered to herself.

"Looking for me?" Valmeyar spun as Lind rose from the far side of the deck on an aircraft lift, grasping the tail of a fighter jet behind her. "You're a cheating bitch Valmeyar". And then she charged forward, dragging the Harrier behind her. Valmeyar bellowed he own challenge and charged Lind but wasn't ready for what happened next; Lind hurled the jet as she ran and Valmeyar swung her hammer, shattering the aircraft before it barrelled into her. But as the jet shattered around her, Lind leapt through the wreckage, her halberd in hand and struck Valmeyar in the shoulder with the top spike, crippling her left arm, before lifting her mother from the ground with her weapon and slamming her back down to the deck. Valmeyar gasped in agony as Lind kicked away her hammer and tried to push herself up but Lind stamped down on her wounded shoulder with a booted foot, making her mother scream and then laid the mighty halberd blade against her throat. "I win" she said simple, her eyes glowing like beacons. Valmeyar spat blood, her face neutral.

"Yes you have. But now what will you do Lind? Will you kill me?"

"By rights I should" Lind said. "I am the Almighty One after all. If I were my father then I would not hesitate to kill you; you disobeyed a direct order from your commander and your actions have seen Kronos released". Valmeyar opened her mouth to say something but Lind leaned forward, drawing blood with the tip of her weapon. "Do not speak. It is taking all of my self-control NOT to kill you. It would be easy… just lean forward and watch your eyes burn out". But then Lind's face softened and her eyes faded from gold to blue once more. "But that would be too easy a way out for you. You are a murderer and as a near a traitor as I will allow in our ranks but I cannot afford to lose your tactical ability. Hammer Down aside, you acquitted yourself admirably and helped to stop the fall of Heaven to until the very last moment. As such, I can only see one possible route out for you". She leaned back, her face become stone hard one more and leaning on her halberd. "Valmeyar Iðunn-daughter, I hereby strip you of your rank and title of First Praetorian of Heaven and reduce you to the rank of Valkyrie Captain. You shall however, remain the Military Attaché for Heaven during our mission on Earth, at least until I can find someone better. As further punishment and as a reminder of your guilt and treachery, you shall have your arms tattooed; one tattoo for every Jötunn, demon and goddess who was killed during the strike which YOU ordered without MY knowledge or consent. You shall bear these tattoos for the rest of your days as the mark of a traitor and as a reminder to all of your crimes against Heaven. Now get your arse down to the medical bay; you're bleeding all over the deck". Without another word, Lind turned away and headed towards the tower in the centre of the deck, ducking inside and heading downstairs. "How did I do?"

"Well I wouldn't have punched QUITE so many holes in the ship but in terms of showing these people that you're not someone to fuck around with, not bad". Jago stepped out from behind the staircase, spitting out the wad of nicotine gum. "Although I can't help but wonder if you didn't have another reason why you didn't kill her".

"It's not because she's my mother if that's what you think". She laid a hand on her stomach. "I can't have our daughter growing up without a grandmother. She's going to need all the help she can get… especially if Kronos is free".

"And in the meantime, I'm gonna have to start making repairs to the ship" Jago said, running a hand through his hair. "But for now, we have a meeting to get back to".

8888

"God damn it!" Valmeyar swore as Urd pulled the last stitch tight. "I know you medics are low on magic but couldn't you have at least used some fucking pain killers?"

"Quit moaning" Urd said. "You're lucky I didn't let the goddesses operate on you! One of them swore she was going to take the opportunity to give you a few jabs with a red hot needle!" She bit through the thread and Valmeyar winced as she pulled her shirt back on.

"And you wouldn't?"

"Don't tempt me" Urd said. "You're just about the least popular being in all of Heaven at the moment, short of Deaderuss himself". Valmeyar sighed and nodded, glancing down at the tattoos that now lined her arms. There were over a million minutely detailed skulls inked into the skin; one for every being who had died because of that bomb. Jötunns made up the greatest number of skulls but there were a large number which were winged, each representing a Praetorian. Bat's wings represented demons, while feathered wings were goddesses. And they ran all the way from her shoulders to her wrists, fully encircling her arms.

"It's ironic isn't it?" she said to no-one in particular.

"What is?" Urd asked, disposing of her needle in a bin and then sterilising her hands in alcohol.

"I have been marked for my sins, just as my daughter has".

"You mean Lind's brand?"

"Yes. Although in this case, I think I deserved mine far more than she did. Branded for daring to fall in love with a human…" she shook her head, "and then there's me; forced to live my life knowing that in my haste to save Heaven, I have probably provided the means for the destruction for the entire world".

"Welcome to my world" Urd said with a sigh. "How my stig do you I think I got after the whole Lord of Terror thing? If I had been a Valkyrie-"

"You would most likely have been court marshalled and executed" Valmeyar said simply. "No stig, just executed. But I appreciate your sentiment". The old Praetorian sighed. "Maybe I'm getting too old for this crap". She stood to leave and then paused, looking down at the front of her uniform. And then, drawing her knife, she unceremoniously sliced the sleeves from her combat leathers, leaving just the gloves with the built in brass knuckles.

"And you did that because…?" Urd asked.

"My daughter carries the mark of a traitor for a crime she did not commit and she wears it with pride. It doesn't seem right for me to hide my shame when cannot hide hers". Urd nodded and was about to say something when her words were drowned out by the sound of an approaching aircraft as it touched down on the carrier's flight deck.

"Well that'll be the reporters then" she said.

"Reporters?"

"Lind's revelation of Heaven. She's called a press conference of most of the world's media. And that reminds me, I'm supposed to be there…" Urd snapped her fingers and her nurses robes disappeared, to be replaced with her official purple and copper robes. "You coming?"

"Is that really such a good idea?" Valmeyar asked sceptically. "As you said, I'm not exactly very popular at the moment". Urd shrugged.

"Suit yourself… but Lind is still your daughter and even after everything that's happened, she could probably do with some help, considering that she's making the biggest announcement since Odin announced we were going to war against the titans".

"Are you ordering me to go?" Valmeyar asked sceptically.

"As the Daimankaichō? No, I have no power to do so. But as your daughter's half-sister and therefore, your step-daughter, I would SUGGEST that you make an appearance, for Lind's moral support if nothing else. Plus there's cake". Valmeyar smiled.

"You had me at cake".

8888

"I didn't expect there to be THAT many of them" Hagall said, peeping out through a gap in the curtains at the crowd of reporters beyond.

"Every major global network is represented there" Jago said. "This is going to be the biggest news story in history, so you should expect to see a lot of reporters".

"Why exactly do I have to be here?" Skuld asked nervously, looking around for an escape route.

"Because our dear older sister asked us to be here. You are now our Cultural Attaché and Technology Correspondent Skuld; it's your job to be present whenever Lind needs us". Skuld looked up nervously at Belldandy and nodded but still looked nervous. In fact they all did, except for Jago who had his nicotine gum. And why shouldn't they be? This was going to change everything. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld, Hagall, Mara, now with her ears fixed, plus Jago and one of the surviving Earth spirits; the major representatives of the major players on Earth. On top of this, a pair of Valkyries were stood in their full combat gear, acting as security precaution, not trusting the special forces teams who had been assigned to protect them. They were only waiting for one person…

"Where is she?" Mara muttered. "Stupid bitch should be-" She suddenly stopped and glanced across at Jago as he gently ran his fingers around the razor-sharp brim of his hat. "I mean, as the Almighty One, Lind should be here by now".

"Don't worry, I'm sure Lind will be shortly" Belldandy said. "She was the one who organised this so it is unlikely that she'll miss it". Just then, they heard the sound of hurrying footsteps and Lind appeared, breathless.

"Sorry I'm late, this damn ship is a maze!" She paused to take a few deep breaths before straightening herself.

"What on Earth are you wearing?" Hagall asked, indicating Lind's cloths.

"It's called a business suit" Lind said, smooth the front of her blouse and jacket. "It's meant to keep people distracted with my body so they don't actually listen to what I'm saying, without being too revealing".

"And you're ok with people staring at you?" the demon asked.

"It never bothered me before" she Lind said.

"Was this your idea?" Urd asked Jago out of the corner of her mouth.

"Partly" Jago whispered back. "Wasn't it you who said "if you've got it, flaunt it"? Besides, it'll probably be best if people AREN'T paying too much attention during this discussion. We need it to go smoothly and I'm not sure how Lind is going to answer these questions".

"Well at least you're using your head" Urd said and then she paused. "I didn't know that Lind wore glasses". Jago cocked his head.

"Glasses?" he said, confused but then he looked at Lind, who had drawn a pair of thick, dark rimmed spectacles from her pocket and was now proudly wearing them. "Err… Lind? Why are you wearing those?"

"I did some research" she said. "Apparently these glasses make me look more "sexy" if I wear them with this business suit".

"And… where exactly did you find this?" he asked as all eyes turned on him and the two Valkyries tried to stop themselves from sniggering with laughter.

"The computer-suite on the third deck. It had internet access. Now Jago, tell me, do I look "sexy"?" Jago gave a polite cough. Perhaps he needed to give Lind "the talk" at some point, he thought but he nodded just the same.

"Yes".

"Good" Lind said. "Now let's get this over with; these things are making my eyes bleed!"

8888

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is Christina Redaerswen for the BBC World Service, with the startling announcement that a group of the arrival of a group of beings who are claiming to be goddesses from Heaven! Yes, you heard it that correctly; they claim to be the genuine article and if they manage to prove this, they-" The reporter stopped, raising a hand to her ear-mike as a message was sent through to her. "Yes? Ok" she said and turned her attention back to the camera. "It has just been confirmed that any second now, the goddesses will make their appearance… in fact, here they are now!" The camera swivelled as the curtain was parted and a group of women entered the room, accompanied by two men. Each was different and each was beautiful in her own way; a medium height woman in blue, white and gold, with sandy blonde hair, a bronze skinned beauty who oozed sexuality, another blonde in black and gold leather and a cloak, a pair of short fangs peeking from her lip, a tiny girl of about thirteen in faded red overalls, another in a revealing, red frilled frock, two in white and blue skin tight leather who kept their arms folded and glared out at the crowd and finally, one who appeared to be the leader of the little group. She was dressed differently to the rest of them; a blue business suit and glasses who would have had any man panting if the effect hadn't been _slightly_ lessened by the addition of a pair of heavy boots. Her hair was pale blue and cut short on all sides, leaving a single long bang on the right side and her eyes were cold as she stared out at the crowd, not unlike the white leathered beings. The two men were also slightly different. One was shorted, with a shock of white hair and a long black and white poncho. The other was taller and more heavily built and looked like he had looted a charity shop on his way here; a mismatch of leather jacket, shirt, jeans boots and a worn out Stetson. But he appeared at home with this little group as he looked out at the crowd. Each different, each unique. But they all had one thing in common; their facial markings. Each sported one and each was as different as their owners were. Most were blue but the one in the black leather and cloak and the one in the red frilled frock were red. The room went silent except for the clicks of cameras as the one in the blue suit stepped up to the podium in the centre of the stage. She cleared her throat.

"Good evening" she said. "I am Lind. Goddess First Class, Special Category, Unlimited Licence. I am the Captain of Heaven's First Valkyrie cohort and therefore, the current commander of what remains of Heaven's army. I am also the temporary Almighty One, what you might call the leader of the Heaven. Not God in the traditional sense but you can think of it that way if you wish. Now we are not the standard gods of any modern religion; the closest you could come is the Norse myths. That's us. A few of the names are misspelled but other than that, I understand that they are fairly close… although I'm not sure how accurate the sagas are. And now, we have come to Earth because we need your help. Less than twenty-four hours ago, both Heaven and Hell were overrun by a combined force of traitors and Jötunns, frost giants to you and we are looking for a temporary home while we try to regroup ourselves. In order to do that, it was decided that it would be best if we finally revealed ourselves to the world as it would be impossible to keep the thirty-thousand or so surviving goddesses and demons hidden from the world. We do not intend to cause any harm to anybody here on Earth; in fact, we will do our utmost to protect you from anything that threatens this world". She cleared her throat and bowed her head. "I will now pass you over to my colleague, Lady Belldandy, to answer any questions. Thank you". She took a step back as Belldandy moved to take her place.

"Lady" Belldandy?" she asked.

"Consider it a promotion" Lind whispered back. "I need a new Heavenly council and you fit the bill. Plus Lady Belldandy sounds more impressive". Belldandy nodded and took her place at the podium.

"God day" she said, beaming. "As you just heard, I am Belldandy and I am Heaven's temporary Ambassador to Earth. Now, does anybody have any question?" There was silence for a second as the cameras continued to roll. Then the room exploded in a wave of noise as a thousand voices all spoke at once. Belldandy sighed. This was going to be a long day.

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In the men's dorm of the Nekomi Institute of Technology, a pair of giants watched with open mouths. Figurative giants that is, not Jötunns.

"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Otaki said to himself as they watched the screen.

"Hey guys, get in here!" Tamiya roared and the other members of the university's Auto Club filed in, coming to squat in front of the TV.

"Is that…?" the one who dressed in an Italian World War Two army uniform asked.

"Apparently" Tamiya said.

"There was always something off about her and her sisters".

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On the other side of town, Keiichi's sister Megumi let out a loud splutter to stop herself from choking on her tea.

"Belldandy?" she said to herself. "So really is…"

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"Well I'll be damned" said Sayoko. "So you really were telling the truth… you and your sisters really are goddesses". She sighed to herself and settled further back into the sofa. "It's no wonder I never stood a chance of winning over Keiichi". Then she paused as she focussed her attention on Lind. "But you… you look like Valmeyar. So who are you?"

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"Where do you get your powers from?"

"Who are the Jötunns?"

"You claim that goddesses mean no harm to us but what about these demons?"

"Why do you all look like twenty year old supermodels?" These were just a few of the questions that were asked of Belldandy as she tried to answer them as rapidly as possible. To Keiichi who was sat in the front row and he sighed as he looked up at his wife. She was going as fast as she could but the questions were coming in so thick and fast, she could hardly keep up. For the first time, Belldandy was actually flustered. And they caught each other's eye and she stopped. He nodded. She took a deep breath. And then she shouted, using magic to amplify her voice to near ear-splitting volume.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" she shouted, instantly silencing everyone present. She then took another few breaths to steady herself before continuing at her usual pace. "Please, one at a time. I will answer everyone's questions but you must be patient. Now who was next?" But instead of someone calling out, there was the sound of a single person clapping. All eyes turned to the single figure as he slowly descended towards the stage and the faces of the goddesses paled.

"My, my, now isn't this interesting" Deaderuss said, still slowly clapping as he approached the stage. "I never would have thought that you would go this far Lind. I know you sleep with a human and you rely on humans to fight your wars but this? I'm not sure whether this is humorous or just sick. To reveal our presence after all these years to these _humans_! You truly are a traitor".

"The only traitor here is you!" Skuld shouted, finding a sudden spark of courage. Deaderuss's face gave a sudden flicker and his arm moved with a flash of motion. Skuld went down with a scream, a knife sticking from her thigh.

"SKULD!" Urd and Belldandy both moved to cover her as the two security Valkyries leapt from the stage, their weapons in hand. Someone screamed as they roared in but Deaderuss simply sidestepped one and stabbed her in the back with his short wakizashi blade and then ducked as the second scythed with her poleaxe. He didn't bother to stab her, just thrust one hand hard into her throat, rupturing her jugular with shear brute force.

"Pitiful" he muttered and then swung around as Valmeyar unmasked and dropped onto him from above, her rapier in hand. She thrust her blade straight at him, aiming for his heart. Deaderuss gasped the narrow blade in one hand and kicked her away. "And so was that!" And then he turned his attention back to the stage as Lind and Jago moved to protect the others. He grinned. "Now isn't this sweet; the traitor and the cockroach, breeding like cockroaches". Then the doors were thrown open and a dozen Special Forces soldiers in black uniforms came bursting in, sub-machineguns in their arms.

"FREEZE!" the commander shouted, as they took aim Deaderuss, who just grinned in response.

"As you wish". And he hurled one hand forward, sending a wave of razor sharp ice needles into the man's body. The other soldiers fired, letting rip with their weapons. Deaderuss simply stood stock still as the bullets ricocheted off the shield he had created round himself. Eventually, the clatter of fire subsided as the guns were emptied of rounds and Deaderuss grinned. "My turn" he said, casually plucking a handful of bullets from the air. He then hurled them back, one at each soldier and killed each instantly as the rounds penetrated their helmets between their eyes. And then, Deaderuss turned slowly to face each and every camera in turn. "People of Earth, you listen to me! I am High Lord Deaderuss, emissary of the true Master of this world, the titan Kronos. As such, I have come to deliver an ultimatum to your pathetic race; surrender yourselves to my Master and most of you will die. But if you try to resist either him or me, you will ALL die. It's as simple as that". He paused, letting the message sink in, grinning like a shark… but then he grunted as a fist struck him hard on the left side of his jaw. And he grinned down a Keiichi as the tiny man stood before him; a mole hill facing down a mountain. "Brave" he said. And then he struck Keiichi across the chest with the back of his arm, sending him crashing into the armoured wall of the ship.

"KEIICHI!" Belldandy screamed and moved to go after Deaderuss, sparking with purple rage but Jago placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I've got Deaderuss, you take care of Keiichi". Belldandy nodded and floated over to her beloved as Jago summoned up his truncheon and descended to the deck, spinning it around its axis. "Cut the crap Deaderuss, it's me you want". Deaderuss grinned and turned to face him.

"Twoarchs. Indeed, you are the only person who can challenge me… or at least you were". And then he grinned as lamb erupted from Jago, tackling Deaderuss into the far wall, pinning the god against the bulkhead.

"And if you want to go after Master, you're going to have to go through me. And we both know who the stronger of us is".

"True Astrakhan Lamb, you were the stronger… WERE". And then Lamb's eyes widened in terror as an abomination appeared from within the High Lord. The Empty.

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The creature resembled an angel in form. In fact, it looked just like Lamb. But it was different. It was the same shade of pale grey all over, like a dirty smear in space. Its hair, its wraps, its wings, its skin, its eyes; the entire thing was the same uniform grey, the shade of volcanic ash. And those eyes were truly horrifying; completely devoid of emotion or even sentience. And the wings were vast. An angel's power was determined by the size of her wings. Noble Scarlet had a wingspan of barely five feet, symbolising her status as one of the youngest angels in Heaven. Holybell had a ten foot wingspan, about what would be expected for the angel of a first class goddess. World of Elegance had fourteen foot wings. Damascus had eighteen, being one of the oldest Archs in all of the universe. And Lamb had a twenty foot span, making her unmatched in terms of sheer power and strength. The only ones who could challenge her were the Mint Sisters. Each may only have had a ten foot span but together, that equalled twenty feet, making them as strong in a straight fight as she was, so long as they worked together. But this was an Empty, an artificial shell, devoid on emotion, created after the discovery of the Angel-Eater as a temporary replacement for goddesses who had lost their angels to the monster. The Emptys were far more powerful than a standard angel and were meant to allow those who had lost theirs to recover them without fear of attack as the Angel-Eater refused to devour something as profane as an Empty. But while it greatly boosted the power of its given goddess, an Empty would slowly drain its owner of emotion. Worse, it was found that they fed off of the power of nearby angels and prolonged exposure could actually convert angels, leaving them as horrifying copies of itself. As such, Lord Tyr had ordered the Emptys destroyed, to protect Heaven from their sickness from spreading. And it had fallen to Lamb's Mistress, Lady Serenity, to hunt them down. They had destroyed dozens of Emptys, tearing apart them apart one by one, until only a handful were left. And this was one of them… a monster with a fifty foot wingspan and Lamb's face, for it had been Lamb which it had fed on before it had been banished to Ginnungagap, draining her slowly until it had been dispatched. And now, it had returned, bound to the most powerful traitor who had ever dared to challenge the rule of Heaven.

"Oh shit" she swore softly. Without so much as batting an eyelid, the Empty bent down and grasped Lamb by the throat, lifting her up to her Master's eye level.

"I would like you meet my girl" Deaderuss said calmly. "This is Gracious Penitence. I believe you two know each other". Gracious Penitence smiled, turning Lamb's face this way and that and then she flung out an arm as Jago and Lind tried to launch an attack, supported by Damascus and the Mint Sisters. The group were suddenly frozen as she used the same blood control spell that Damascus had used to control the Praetorians during the rescue of Bifrost, forcing them to their knees. And then the Empty spoke, in a voice like a cold and empty tomb.

"Do not challenge me" she hissed. "I am far more powerful than you. That includes you Astrakhan Lamb". But then she paused as Jago forced himself to stand, his eyes copper as Brother Pluto lent his strength to Jago.

"Let her go" he said through gritted teeth. "You fight me damn you!" The Empty cocked her head and eyed Pluto with her expressionless face, clacking her teeth. And then she brought the fingers of her hand together, squeezing Jago's heart. He screamed in agony, collapsing to the deck as she continued to apply pressure, slowly choking his heart of oxygen. But he kept coming. He struggled back to his feet, fighting the blood control, even as his heart died and he advanced on Deaderuss and Gracious Penitence. And Deaderuss smiled.

"Gracious Penitence, let him live" he said. "I have just received a message from out Master".

"Master?" Gracious Penitence asked.

"Kronos says he admires this one's strength and the tenacity of both him and his worthless Archs, so he wants them to face us fairly". Gracious Penitence nodded and she released her grip on Jago's heart, allowing him to collapse to the ground. Deaderuss then took a step forward and raised Jago's chin with the tip of his blade. "You are fortunate Twoarchs" he said. "You have been given a stay on your execution. Kronos has decided that we will face each other in one week, on the island of Avalon, amongst the ruins of Valhalla. You and your… Archs will fight me and Gracious Penitence in open combat until one is either killed or rendered to badly injured to continue… Personally I would wish to see you die here but my Master thinks it would be fun to strip this world of your power as a show of true strength". And then Deaderuss leaned forward, whispering into Jago's ear. "But before you die, I shall take everything from you. I will kill your Archs, one at a time. I will cut off their wings and leave them to die. And as you seduced Lind, I will take her from you. I will rape her before your eyes if she will not accept me willingly and you will die, knowing that you have failed her, just as you have failed everyone else… oh feeble Paladin". Jago couldn't respond, Pluto having been forced to retreat during the attack on his heart but his eyes burned with anger, even as Gracious Penitence continued to manipulate his blood. Deaderuss grinned and took a step back. "Gracious Penitence, release the Arch. We need her alive for the final battle". Gracious Penitence nodded and dropped Lamb to the deck. The angel crumpled into a heap, gasping for breath while glaring up at the monster that held her face… and the monster that controlled her. "We will see you in one week" Deaderuss said. "I hope that you humans will make the right choice by then". And then he crossed to Lind, forcing a kiss on her. She tried to resist but the Empty's control prevented her from fighting back. And then the Praetorian leaned back… and he disappeared in a whirl of dark energy. There were several moments of silence and then someone spoke up.

"Ok, does someone want to tell us what the Hell is going on?"

**Authors Note: So this is what I've been keeping under wraps all this time huh? Deaderuss has control of the only monster capable of defeating Lamb in battle and has issued his final ultimatum. So how is this going to play out? Well that's a secret… but you've got to admit that it's going to be a better ending than what I originally planned (an aerial battle between Jago and Hild in fighter planes? How stupid is that?!)**


End file.
